Subordinate
by lucky7777
Summary: It was with great displeasure that I called Jaune Arc my boss. Ever since the last Great War, finding good employment had been hard for Faunus and I was no exception. I ended up taking a look at the more desperate advertisements, only one of which I was foolish enough to accept. It looked innocuous enough, just an assistant to a private investigator who'd do simple tasks.
1. Sidekick

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY that said please enjoy.**

**Many many thanks to BozarBoy for helping me with this new version of**

**Chapter 1 (Adam Taurus)**

"Watson, what do you see here?" asked Jaune.

_Here I am…  
_  
"A riverside, with a great pile of sludge that smells more unpleasant than rotting meat. And you are making me wade through it, looking for 'clues'." My suit was soaked from searching through the mud and muck for hours. "And my name for the last time is Adam." I said irritably as I rested on some nearby rocks.

_"_Right you are Watson. You see that black stain you're stepping on? It's the key to our case, good going finding it Watson."

__…With the greatest irritant in history. If only I could pull out my katana and stab my past self.  
__  
I lifted my foot up and grimaced. Some stringy liquid with the consistency of phlegm was stuck to the sole of my shoes. When I get home I'm burning these shoes and throwing the ashes off the highest cliff I can find.

"Here, catch." He tossed me a glass jar that had a towel inside. "Collect those would you; we need it if we're going to catch our culprit."

I looked back down at the slime and then back up at Jaune. The obnoxious bastard was smiling and gesturing for me to start. I had over a million ways to respond. All derogatory.  
_  
_C'mon Adam, suck it up you've been through worse.__

After a deep breath, I rolled the towel over the mess and wrung it out over the jar. It felt worse than it looked. Lumpy custard and mud came to mind as I was collecting the liquid.

"Righto Watson, let's head to the flat for analysis."

Fortunately, we didn't run into anyone I knew. I didn't want them asking question as to why I was carrying questionable black substances.

Back in my room (and in a fresh set of clothes, shoes included), I rested on the armchair I brought in when I moved in. Money was tight but the promise of accommodation as well as a job meant I could indulge myself from time to time. Although, I wasn't sure if it qualified as a living space anymore, not with the freshly converted laboratory. It used to be the kitchen.

Despite how young Jaune was, he had a penchant for sniffing out clues. Apparently his father sent him to work with a friend in the police and it took off from there. It got to the point where he made the news after a crime bust on a serial killer. Then there was the fact that he never broke a contract. Ever. You can see the appeal. As for why he investigates on his own? Hell if I know, Jaune's personal reasons don't concern me.

The case we were on came directly from the Schnee company. Some criminal made off with certain sensitive documents , sensitive enough that the police couldn't look at it. So the Schnee company wanted us to get them back, going so far as to add in a clause of absolute secrecy. How some black gunk ties in with this case, I have no idea.

"Hey Watson, come here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

_Hm, that usually means unwanted guests or unwanted guests. Today, I'm betting on the latter._

I was instead greeted by a young black haired girl with ribbons reminiscent of animal ears.

"Watson, I'd like you to meet Miss Belladonna. She'll be my secretary."

__May god have mercy on that girl.__

_"_My names not Watson, he just calls me that." I held out an offered hand.

She clasped it with surprising strength. "Blake Belladonna, a pleasure." Blake certainly had an allure to her, like a white tiger from the ancient faunus myths.

"Adam Taurus, assistant."

"I must say this is a unique place, I never expected your room to be so..." She trailed off, probably unsure how to describe the messy state of the room, "lively."

"Lively's one way of describing it, another way is calling it a dump." It was a dump. There was some green goop on the floor that I'm pretty sure used to be a pasta.

Her eyes widened, hesitating on how to respond to that. I saved her the trouble and just carried on. "It's fine, call it as it is. Jaune over there won't mind." Her eyes wandered off to said man and he gave a jaunty wave. Blake nodded uncertainly and her bow twitched?

Interesting, looks like I'm not the only faunus desperate for decent employment.

"So Adam, what do you normally do as an assistant?"

"General things. Anything Jaune finds too lazy to do, he calls on me to do it."

"Except making tea." Jaune interrupted. "He makes the most awful tea. It is a travesty that I hope to one day amend."

Good luck with that.

"What made you take this job anyway?" I asked gruffly. "Secretary isn't exactly an attractive job."

"Well," she began. "Jaune helped me with a problem I had before and I wanted to repay him back."

"Problem?" Jaune didn't normally take cases without me.

"It's a private affair. That's all you need to know about it."

"Right, meet and greet is over, Watson we have a culprit to catch."

* * *

Night fell with street lights providing the only light. Jaune and I stood on a rooftop staking out some storage building. My katana lay by my side because, of all my roles as an assistant, being Jaune's bodyguard was the only one actually worth my skills. Jaune himself had some sword-shield combination but from what I could tell, he was pretty bad at using them.

"Why are we here?" I asked annoyed. To say I was bored was an understatement.

Jaune glanced over at me before taking some binoculars out. Unlike me, Jaune has normal night vision. That is to say, garbage when compared to mine. I suggested earlier that I keep watch but he waved it off and said it'd be fine.

"That black gel we found by the riverside was dropped by an accomplice. Stealing documents that well guarded required an inside job with lots of outside support. I noticed in the security footage that a few employees caused various troubles around the time of the robbery and one of them had a distinct black stain on their trousers. Normal walking routes are cleaned regularly but a dirty riverside where a shady meeting can occur? He probably dropped it then but didn't notice the stain."

"How does that lead us here? Why not just bust down on him?"

"He's a low ranked member as far as I can tell. Wouldn't have any useful information. I already investigated all the suspicious employees but they didn't have any decent leads. That sludge you found earlier is only produced here. I needed to bring a sample to be sure but if it turns out to be a match, we have our culprits."

With nearly nothing to do, Jaune began droning about some bees he was interested in. It was his idea of small talk.

I ignored him.

Finally, a truck pulled over and several men with guns came out in an orderly line. Trained soldiers I assumed. Except they were lead by a hat wearing man with a cigar and suit. He looked straight out of a spy film as an antagonist. I readied my sword, senses sharpening as my faunus heritage gave me perfect clarity in the darkness.

"Not now Watson, we need those documents unscathed."

I reluctantly let go of the grip. My trusted katana, sharpened religiously with Dust infused properties, had been my partner ever since I mastered the art of Battōjutsu.

We kept watch. Inside, I could sense someone with a massively powerful aura. Detecting aura was an innate skill any being could use, faunus or otherwise, but it took dedicated training to actively track/locate someone. Of course there were ways to hide from sensors but most people never bothered since the payout usually wasn't worth it. Sometimes flaring your aura could instinctively frighten other creatures (humans included), as it showed your power and "superiority", intimidating others into obedience.

Occasionally there would be sounds of machinery or yelling but we didn't interfere. It would be foolish to storm into a battlefield with no information. I kept track of members passing by, noting their weapons, stance, aura, anything that improved my chances of victory should it come down to blows.

The silence broke when a girl with a massive scythe tumbled out through the building window. Shattered glass blasted through the night and I caught curses being shouted out.

"Damn it, Adam play bait. I'll grab the documents. Oh, help the girl as well."

He sped off and disappeared down the ladder. I took off from the roof, aura boosting my strength and speed. One strike, one down. Except these soldiers were trained enough in aura to take on a slash without lasting injuries.

_Good, I can go all out._

Several gunmen approached at several angles firing their guns. I weaved past the bullets, cutting the ones I couldn't with my sword. I shunted my blade into the armour of a soldier and tore it out in quick succession. No blood was spilt but he passed out from the pain. The others kept firing to keep the pressure on but I never stayed in one place for longer than a second. Realising the ineffectiveness of their guns, they drew out electric powered batons. Smart, electricity was the hardest Dust to defend against.

It didn't mean a thing when I was the one they were facing.

I sheathed my katana, building up power to increase its range, force and sharpness. I pulled, twisting in a circle and creating a series of slashes. All the enemies dropped.

Others were coming. The girl was shaking off glass and I yanked her up.

"Get out now!"

"What no, I can help!" The young girl, who couldn't possibly be older than fifteen, yelped.

"This isn't some game! I can handle this."

"I can handle this too! Watch!" The red caped girl sped off, velocity rising until she was nothing more than a blur. She whipped out her scythe, and using the built-in rifle to her advantage, smashed into her opponents with the multiplied momentum. The soldiers, surprised and unprepared, flew off in various comical ways. She skidded to a halt in front of me gloating. I wanted to smack her for thinking that would convince me but she did dispatch a large number of enemies without any fatal injuries.

"Fine, thin down their numbers. Leave the stronger opponents for me!" She nodded in understanding and dashed off taking down several soldiers while doing so.

Striding inside the storage house quickly, I scanned the area for any threatening enemies. Crates filled with massive amounts of Dust littered the storage room.

If any of them were set off we'd all be dead.

In comparison to outside, the room was silent, only my footsteps echoing ominously across the warehouse. The other rooms were similarly silent. I couldn't pin down the hat-wearing man with my aura sensing since his signature was vague.

Actually, where did that person with a massive aura go?

As soon as the window shattered, I couldn't sense it anymore. I paused. There were footsteps, not mine.

High heels. Confident in stride.

Experienced with battle.

"I guess you can't leave a man to do a woman's job."

I spun around, gripping my katana with all my strength.

A woman wearing a red dress stalked forwards. I hadn't sensed her presence, I still couldn't.

"What did I say to that bumbling man? Make sure to cover your tracks? Yet _here_ you are. What a disappointment."

She stopped several steps ahead of me, eyes focused. This wasn't someone I could recklessly charge.

"Well, a battle can be thrilling in its own way and I was getting bored at how easy everything is."

I didn't say a word.

"Of course I didn't expect a faunus to appear. Your brethren are oh so helpful in my endeavour. Really, they flock to anyone who's willing to 'fight' for their cause. What about you? Are you another hero or did you just run here like that blond boy did?"

"Where is he?"

"Ooh, touched a nerve there. You know those documents you're searching for?"

"What _about_ them?"

She smiled a sinister smile. "You're going to have to beat me to find out."

We locked eyes.

And then we clashed.

She raised both hands and fired off a pair of Dust powered blasts. I rolled, letting the explosions force me forwards. Pulling out my katana, I slashed where she stood. She took a graceful step back, letting the blade just thinly miss her neck and countered with a blow that could shatter concrete. I was sent back, aura reducing the damage but I landed stiffly. She followed up with more rapid fire blasts which I hastily dodged.

Returning my sword to its sheath, I began charging. Clouds of Dust rose from the crates and she formed them into hundreds of arrows, each infused with Dust from their respective origin.

They fired in waves, one after another, making it impossible to block all of them. Even with my speed, the resulting after-effects of the Dust arrows caused me to be hit by an explosion. I needed to stop this.

I yanked out my blade, releasing all the charged up power. White light and roses blew into the air. Arrows were annihilated and their energy was absorbed back into my sheath for later use.

That's when I noticed the floor glowing red. I leaped as far as I could but that left me vulnerable to more blasts which I only partially deflected. I landed on all fours and ran at full speed.

She never stopped smiling, totally sure in her victory. I swiped and again she dodged with the barest of efforts. Or at least she would have, if I hadn't suddenly extended my katana's range with my stored power.

A solid blow landed on her neck, pushing her back. I pressed my advantage, slashing at critical points across her body. Her body was pummeled, her aura barely preventing her from bleeding out but not blocking out the pain. She grunted and I finished off with a piercing stab.

She was knocked back onto the unforgiving walls, passing through them and outside into the cold empty air. I chased after her but she already back on her feet. Her eyes glowing orange.

This time she was the pursuer. But her movements changed, they became faster, stronger and oddly more graceful. Something niggled at the back of my mind, I knew I'd seen those movements before but where?

She infused her arm with aura and Dust and parried a blow from my sword. She invaded my personal space and superheated the air. My mouth turned dry, my eyes watered and it felt like breathing empty air. I staggered away, desperate for moisture.

She didn't let up. She raised her arms as if she was pulling up a gown and fire sprang to life. I looked up and saw wings made of flames behind her.

She was flying.

That's why I recognise those movements. They're from the legendary Zhu Que martial arts.

Zhu Que, one of the four legendary martial arts style focused primary on speed, endurance and gracefulness. Before Dust was discovered, martial arts were developed to combat the Grimm. Using aura, faunus developed these styles and many attempts had been undertaken to replicate the feat based on stone tablets.

_But why can she use it?_

She flew up and out of my reach. Our surroundings were almost completely in flames now. She dropped down towards me, speed boosted by her wings of flames, and punched me right in my stomach.

_Shit, I can't beat this on my own._

In my haziness, I didn't notice a girl pull out her scythe and charge at the Zhu Que practicing woman. A whirlwind formed around her and crashed into the sea of flames resulting in a bizarre fire tornado. My eyes threatened to water again but I stood firm blinking away my dizziness.

I needed my most powerful attack. I focused my entire will into my sword. Drawing every drop of aura and every particle of Dust. Roses from the young girl flew high and wide but they rapidly burnt away.

The girl herself began to falter. The intense heat and scorched ground made movement increasingly difficult. It was only her speed created tornado that was letting her survive the flames. The young girl continuously fired shots from her rifle but it didn't seem to do a thing. Realizing this, she switched tactics and began firing behind herself, boosting herself to speeds I could barely perceive. A blur of red shot through the flames towards her enemy.

The woman wasn't unprepared. She began to glow crimson as she built up energy. A great beam of intense light shot directly at the young girl. She couldn't dodge and was blasted backwards. She rolled to dissipate the momentum but I could tell she was severely injured.

But she didn't give up.

She got back up, panting, and positioned her scythe behind her. Again she launched forward, scythe swinging.

And again she was pushed back more injured.

"Stop! Get away from here!"

She didn't listen and charged forwards. That didn't last long either as she was eventually overpowered. The young girl tumbled across the clearing, heavily bruised and her weapon laying far away.

_Shit, I still need more time. If this goes on she'll kill us all._

"You played well little girl and faunus, you made me bring out my vermilion bird skills. Feel honoured to go down to such an art."

A flick of her wrist and a tsunami of flames came crashing down towards me.

"**ADAM**!"

Jaune jumped in with his shield in front of him. "GET READY ADAM!" The flames washed over us. Jaune used his body and shield to buy me enough time to charge.

"Damn it, Jaune! You just had your aura activated!"

Seconds passed and Jaune succumbed under the heat. His face looked peaceful as he fell, as if he was seeing an old friend. The hellish inferno spread over his body and came directly at me.

...

...

...

**FUCK THAT!**

"**ARRGHHGH!**" I screamed as I poured every drop of anger I had into my attack. Wilted rose petals sprung forth from me. The blade cut through the blaze extinguishing it from existence and the slash carried on, tearing the very air apart. The flying woman's eyes widened and she moved to protect herself, but it was too late.

The extended range tore into her and ended any flames she had left. She dropped like a sack of potatoes. I collapsed onto the ground, the attack rendering my muscles inert.

"Hah ha, you actually hurt me. You actually hurt me. And all this for some ridiculous documents." She was barely standing, clutching her wounded chest. "You're going to die for this faunus. Your friends, your family, your life. I will burn it all down to cinders."

An airship descended and that hat wearing man dropped down to pick her up. I couldn't pursue. I was too injured, too exhausted. Breathing was difficult and standing after I'd been blown up didn't help.

But I had to.

I needed to treat Jaune.

I ambled my way over to his fallen body. His entire back was blotchy red. Angry blisters were all over him.

"Shit." I didn't have anything on me that could treat him. No, before that I needed to call for an ambulance. After checking up on the scythe girl who was still unconscious, I called the emergency service.

Jaune let out a moan and I disregarded my pain rushing over to him.

"Jaune! Jaune! Stay still, an ambulance is coming over."

He groaned some more but complied.

* * *

It was depressing in the hospital room. Not just because this was a building built for the damaged but because it reminded me of stories from the War. When the loss of limbs was expected and supplies were stretched so thin, families had to eat muck to survive. Man and faunus as a whole had moved on from there. Everyone knew how tragic war could be but that didn't stop tension between us. The White Fang was the response to this. Rallies and local events were set up to bring the two species together.

It didn't work.

Now? The White Fang turned to terrorism to achieve their goals. Once upon a time I might have even contemplated joining them, but my father's dying wish was for someone to find the peaceful resolution between the two species. He looked into my eyes and for all his skill with the blade, he taught me after all, he'd seen horrors which I didn't even want to contemplate.

"Hey, you okay?" Blake sat down quietly beside my hospital bed.

"Do I look okay?"

"No, you look worn down, tired and exhausted."

"Don't they all just mean the same thing?"

"Hmm, maybe. You want to talk about it? Get some things of your chest?"

I snorted. Maybe this was Blake's way of comforting someone but I didn't need it.

"No, I'm fine. My injuries aren't really comparable to his." The image of his blistered red back floated past my eyes.

"He's doing much better now. He just came out of surgery so we could visit him."

I took her up on her offer. With my aura and adrenaline depleted, I couldn't exactly walk very well so Blake had to push me along in a wheelchair. I felt disgraceful but put the thought out of my head.

Jaune was located on another level. Along the way out of the lift we ran into that girl who was there fighting last night.

"Ah, it's you! You're okay! Oh, I mean sorta okay, I mean you're in a wheelchair so..." Her voice trailed off and I figured I'd give her a break just this once.

"I'm Adam. Adam Taurus."

Her eyes lit up and she sort off jiggled on the spot. "Ruby. Ruby Rose." She held out her hand which was covered in bandages. She awkwardly dropped it when she realised I couldn't shake her hand like that. "Haha, it was pretty cool seeing you in action. You were like kapow and shwing with your sword. You pushed her back until that crazy woman pulled out wing flames and even then you still managed to fight back!"

I think she might have had stars in her eyes.

"By any chance are you a Hunter? If so can I please have your autograph?"

"I'm not a Hunter."

"Wah, but you're so skilled. I bet you can take down flocks of Nevermores no problem."

"Anyway," Blake cut in, "we need to visit someone so we'll be on our way."

"Oh! Of course, don't let me hold you up. It was nice meeting you Adam."

Blake wheeled me by and Ruby waved until we went past a corner.

"Looks like you got a fan."

"Shut up."

Jaune's room was identical to mine save for the fact that the bed had a full body bandaged guy in it.

"Blake! Watson! You're here!"

"My name's not Watson. It's Adam. I know you know it. You shouted my name."

"What nonsense are you on about Watson? Did you drink your own horribly made tea perhaps?

I sighed.

I give up.

"How're you holding up?"

"Good as I can be. The doctors prescribed me some medicine to avoid infection. Thanks to my large reserves of aura, I should be able leave the hospital in about a week."

Good, if he had a smaller reserve it would take ages for his soul to heal his wounds.

"My sword and shield are ruined though. I'm surprised they lasted so long, it's older than a large portion of Grimm. Guess my great-great-grandfather had a great blacksmith."

"Take it out of my pay check and get a new one," I suggested.

"No need, my father has some spares back home. Once he arrives he'll give a very long rant about how stupid I was but will hand over my new gear, shiny and polished. Ah, Blake can you make a call for me? Contact the Schnee headquarters and tell them I have some information for them."

Blake nodded dutifully and left without a word.

"You found the documents?"

"I found them but I couldn't get to them without more time. I'll tell them the location and let them deal with it."

"That woman, she mentioned that she saw you."

"She did? I never met anyone on my way except some soldiers which I hid from. Strange, I'll need to look into that. What else did you hear her say?"

I relayed the events and whatever else I could think to add. Jaune would occasionally interfere with my narrative to ask some questions.

"Righto, we got long weeks ahead of us. Once we've recovered, we've got some work to do."

* * *

**AN: Hello, hope you enjoyed the story. The story was inspired by this comment: **

**Jaunelock and Adam Watson plus sexy secretary Ms. Belladona~**

**It just went off from there. I read The Games we play by rgm0005 which also helped me develop Cinder's fighting style.  
**

**If you want to read more about my thoughts on this chapter, my profile page has some extra stuff if you're interested.**


	2. Escort I

**Chapter 2**

Unlike Jaune, I was discharged after two days of treatment. Jaune was put out but he didn't order me to do anything about it, so I left his room after checking on him. Annoyingly enough, Ruby didn't stop bothering me; she spent every free moment in my room chatting about weaponry and how to fight with said weaponry. It was easy to tell she wasn't what you'd normally call sociable; she somehow managed to rant for over an hour without any response from me. Still, she's bound to the hospital until the doctor gives her the green light so I won't have to deal with her any time soon.

Blake greeted me at the hospital entrance and we began a meandering walk down the streets.

"You didn't need to meet up with me. There's a reason I'm leaving the hospital." I rolled my arms, hearing satisfying cracks as I did so.

"Having no one be there for someone is rather sad. I thought you might have at least had other visitors but it's only ever me and that Ruby girl." Ruby and Blake got on surprisingly well. Turns out Blake had some combat training and they had a shared belief of a happier future "No one was going to be there to wish you congratulations so I thought you might like the company."

"I don't need constant company. I'm fine working by myself." It was the same reason I didn't bring anything into their conversations.

"Then that's a lonely life you lead." Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt and I turned questioningly towards her. "Hey let's head to that café," She pointed across the street, where a small but stylish café stood. "I'm sure you're craving something appetizing after two days of hospital food."

I had the feeling that she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right mood for it. I didn't press the issue.

Once we settled in and placed our orders, Blake began the real conversation she wanted. "You're a Faunus."

I raised an eyebrow. "I am."

"You're a strong fighter as well."

I nodded, unsure how else to reply.

"Look, I'll keep it simple. I want your help."

"If you need help, ask Jaune. He loves helping people."

"Jaune is a good man but he can't fight. What I want is an escort who will accompany a friend of mine. He wants to flee to Vacuo and needs someone to protect him on the way there."

"This is ridiculous, I just recovered and you want me to jump right back into danger? How does me being a Faunus relate to anything?"

"He's a Faunus as well. It's easier to trust someone that's like you." She drew her hands in and lowered her head. "You'd mostly be travelling at night and it wouldn't even take four days for it to be over. You'd get back before Jaune is even released. Just consider it, please."

"It's not about whether it's possible, it's about the fact you think I'll do this out of the goodness of my heart. You think that I can just drop everything to bail one guy out? There are thousands of people who are suffering every day, and you don't see me solving all their problems. Hell, I'm barely scraping by myself, where's my help?"

Blake was speechless at that.

_Not everyone works to see a better future; some just live for the next day._

"Did I mention he's willing to pay? He runs a successful book shop and he can part with some money."

"How much are we talking here?"

She told me the number and I couldn't help but be impressed. I'll admit, money had always been tight despite how often Jaune took cases.

_I don't have any plans this week so it won't matter if I disappear for a few days._

"Fine. I'll hear details but I'll choose whether to accept."

Blake filled me in on the rest of the details as we ate. I might have been worried that we would be overheard but there weren't any customers nearby and the staff was preoccupied with their duties. The basics of what she wanted me to do, was to defend this Tukson guy as we moved through the wastelands between the Kingdoms. Regular travel routes and public airships were out since his organisation would most likely be monitoring them. We'd drive through untamed territory instead and it would be up to me to stop anything threatening, Grimm or otherwise. Tukson studied the migration patterns of several species of Grimm beforehand and worked out a relatively safe route for us.

"You know how to fight right? Why didn't you volunteer yourself?"

"I can't." Blake said with a sigh. "I'm busy with several things this week."

"Things?"

"Important things."

"You're rather secretive Blake."

"We all have our secrets Adam. Mine just happen to be ones that take up my time."

_Isn't that the truth._

"Alright I'll do the job."

* * *

At home, I sharpened my sword for my newest assignment. I couldn't stop my thoughts from drifting off towards Blake. Even though we had only known each other for a few days, she'd already asked me for help in some huge case. Ever the introvert, Blake didn't seem all that desperate when she made her request, rather she seemed more shocked that I accepted. To most citizens, it was downright suicidal to leave the safety of Vale. Grimm were a constant threat that never dwindled in numbers or viciousness. If that wasn't enough, even Hunters were wary of leaving the established routes. For you to be asked to do so, and say yes, required either a very good reason or lots of money and not a lot of reason.

I'm afraid that, in my case, it was the latter.

Once satisfied with my blade, I sheathed it and left the house with some basic survival tools. I met up with Tukson late at night at the Vale gates. He was wearing a simple brown top with basic blue trousers. He nodded to me as I passed and I returned the gesture. The guards on duty were primarily on the look-out for Grimm, but they were trained to deal with people who were foolish enough to leave the gates. That usually meant drunks, not a pair of well trained Faunus.

Unlike the Human guards, we had the advantage of perfect night vision. Sticking to the shadows, we crept along quickly, hardly making a sound. We slipped past their line of sight and eventually found our way to a truck Tukson had hidden earlier. Tukson got in the driver's seat, I rode shotgun, and we sped off.

Driving through uneven grasslands at high speeds was an experience I never wanted to go through again. Tukson, either unfazed or uncaring, simply manoeuvred the vehicle with expert precision. We drove through with little trouble and we found our way to the rocky fields.

From a distance I could see a Beowolf pack prowling about. The shattered moon shined down on the group and a howl rang forth, each lesser wolf followed suit from its pack leader.

"It's frightening isn't it? Back before civilisation people had to fight those every day without any Dust," said Tukson.

"It was necessary to survive. Just as the same as eating or drinking water, it was a fact of life." I stated.

"I don't doubt that, but it does put into perspective how much people have managed to achieve." He stared off into the horizon. "We can communicate and travel across vast distances, we have schools and shops, not to mention all of our science and technology. Back then, we were animals with pointy sticks, running from monsters in the dark."

"We use what we have to live and make do." I replied simply.

"I suppose it's just the natural progression of life. Sooner or later, someone would have come up with the ideas to succeed. Genius lives among every generation."

We didn't have much else to talk about after that. I kept an eye out for threats but it was mostly just the same unbroken wilderness, with the occasional group of Grimm in the distance.

Eventually we pulled to a stop at the bottom of a cliff. Tukson pulled out some fuel and got to refilling the truck. Various Grimm hovered at the edge of a nearby forest and I easily dispatched the few that dared to get closer. Despite the attacks, I couldn't help but feel it was too easy. Our truck was loud and our Auras bright, yet nothing more than a few boar Grimm came charging at us?

The freezing air tasted burnt and it was eerily quiet. As if some sixth sense had been triggered, I felt the sudden need to get out of there as soon as possible. But I couldn't actually detect any danger, even the Grimm had vanished, and it actually seemed peaceful as the wind softly blew against my skin.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over me and I glanced up to the top of the cliff. A black silhouette, vaguely shaped like a man, stood out against the cracked moon. He looked down at me and I could have sworn he hid something behind him. Before I could call out to him, he darted away, silent as a whisper and just as fleeting.

I don't know who, or what, that was but somehow, I knew it was related to the woman who injured me earlier. The question was, how?

"Adam! We can leave now."

I jerkily nodded at him, suppressing a reflexive jump. "Did you see that?"

"See what? That boar? Yeah I saw you take it down. Good job."

I looked back at where the silhouette had been, finding nothing but air and more questions. "Yeah, let's go."

I was more focused, more alert, and definitely more paranoid as we drove away. I wasn't sure what that haunting figure wanted, but I was sure we were going to run into it again. "Tukson, we might have company later on, be ready to fight."

His eyes shifted towards me, perhaps worried, as he hummed an agreement.

Daylight came and with it my paranoia settled down. Now that I had had a chance to think about it, I was sure I was spooked over nothing. The fact he didn't attack meant that he was unsure if he could take me and Tukson down. I was a skilled warrior, so if it came down to a fight, I knew I'd be able to fend him off. There was also the fact that we covered a vast distance by driving all night. Unless he had something akin to speed semblance or a private airship, he wouldn't be catching up to us any time soon.

This far out from civilisation, Grimm were much more eager to attack. An Ursa Major chased our vehicle with a swiftness unexpected of its size. It was fast, faster than we were and it was poised to overtake us. I pulled myself out of the window and stood on top of the truck. I parried an incoming blow that would have neatly shredded the roof and countered by hacking at its forearm. The Ursa ignored the attack and continued recklessly swiping at me.

A smarter Grimm would have tried a different tactic.

It wasn't a smarter Grimm and I ended its life with an Aura-enhanced swing.

I was about to climb back inside until I heard a loud squawk. Up above, a flock of Giant Nevermore was circling hungrily.

It was pretty easy to see what they were after.

One of them swooped down, beak open. I jumped over it and forced myself downwards onto its head. Gravity assisted my attack and the Nevermore fell hard enough to leave a spider-web of cracks on the wasteland floor. The others didn't let the opportunity go to waste and they fired their razor-sharp feathers simultaneously, all in my direction. I knew from experience I wouldn't be able to dodge them all so I did the next best thing and began building up a charge.

Tukson did his best to avoid the incoming projectiles, swerving like a madman and weaving between shots. I was thankful for his quick thinking, but he wouldn't be able to keep it up long enough for me to fully charge my sword.

Satisfied by the power regardless, I yanked my sword out, obliterating all the feathers and clipping the wings of a few Nevermore. Three were unaffected, remaining in flight, and they began screeching as one. The intense sound waves disoriented me enough that I almost fell off the truck. The sound waves must have affected Tukson as well, as his driving grew clumsier and more erratic. One of the Nevermore broke formation, heading towards me while the other two continued screeching and firing feathers. The two Nevermore up above started flapping their wings furiously, creating powerful gusts of winds to speed up their projectiles. One of the boosted feathers impacted directly in front of us and Tukson turned sharply to avoid it. The truck tilted dangerously and I actually fell off. The incoming Nevermore angled itself appropriately, opening its beak to swallow me whole.

_Shit._

I pulled on my Aura, increasing my arms strength and smashed a fist into the Nevermore jaw. It staggered mid-flight but stayed in the air. Tukson u-turned and sped towards us as I launched myself off the dazed Grimm. Rolling back onto the roof and anchoring myself with my sword, I readied myself for the last two Nevermore. They never came. With most of the flock beaten, they must've realised this wasn't a battle they could easily win and retreated away from us.

I climbed back into the cab; we got back on the road, or lack thereof, and continued the journey in relative silence. Tukson was uninjured and while my Aura was drained, it wasn't enough where I couldn't fight again. However, the earlier battle showed us that we wouldn't be able to cruise through the journey like we had done so far. The Nevermore we fought were smarter than the ones back in Vale. Today, those Nevermore learnt to not attack in that pattern again. They would adapt and try something new on the poor suckers that ran into them next. It was what made older Grimm more dangerous, not necessarily because of their size but their intelligence.

After another day of non-stop driving, twilight approached and the stars above started twinkling merrily. During the ride, I caught up on some much-needed sleep. Tukson was dead tired as well, so we decided that after my nap we would switch to let him sleep.

Stopping again to refuel, I looked out at the wastelands. The Grimm made living here impossible. No agriculture could develop on these polluted lands without great effort and the food chain always had the Grimm at the top. For anyone to survive out here, there had to be some special circumstance or resource that ensured their existence. Sometimes that was Hunters, other times it was Dust. It was funny, but the clearing we found ourselves looked to be the perfect size for a small village.

I collected the fuel cans to avoid leaving a trail and prepared to leave. Tukson was still sleeping peacefully in the car. Blake told me he was fleeing from an organisation, but what organisation would be after a book seller? Then there was Blake herself, the few secrets she'd dangled in front of me only making me more curious.

Lately, it seemed like Jaune was the only one doing the thinking. I guess I fell into a bad habit of not thinking myself any more, always expecting him to find the answer for me.

_I'll ask Tukson about it when he wakes up._

Even though they were hundreds of miles away, I couldn't help thinking of the silhouetted figure and the Zhu Que woman. Yet another mystery for me to unravel. Maybe Jaune could help.

_You'll have time to chase ghosts later Adam. You have a job to do._

Careful to not wake up Tukson, I started the car engine. It rumbled heavily to life but miraculously, didn't wake up the napping book seller. I was about to press the pedal when I noticed the car was trembling as if it was coughing. I thought it was damaged until the ground below gave way to cracks and fissures. Tukson woke up with a start and looked to me in confusion. I stomped on the gas, desperate to escape the falling ground but I wasn't experienced with driving through earthquakes. I missed the timing and we plunged into the dark abyss.

I woke up tied to a wooden pole. Tukson, who was beside me, was in a similar predicament. A crowd of people , both Faunus and Humans, formed a circle around us. They were dressed oddly, their clothing more basic in structure and duller in design than you'd normally see. Some of them even held ancient staves like you normally find in T.V. shows, while others wielded simple swords. My weapon wasn't beside me and I had a feeling I knew who took it. My head rang painfully as I tried to recall what exactly happened.

"They're awake! They're awake!" One of them called.

"Get the Chief here now!" said another.

The crowd shuffled about, letting a short thin elderly man through. He peered at me at me as if I was some specimen.

"You're not from here." the Chief said.

"No, I'm not."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, shock clear on their faces.

"How do you survive on the surface with those Heartless?"

"Heartless?" I asked confused.

"The black monsters, the shadowy beasts, the grim creatures of the darkness. We looked at your metal scrap and we hoped you could enlighten us as to your life."

Were these people isolated underground? Their weapons were rudimentary at best and they didn't seem to know what our vehicle was. I activated my Aura sense and was overwhelmed at the feedback. About 500 people were living here, all with their Auras activated. The Chief himself had an Aura reserve that could rival that Zhu Que girl.

"We simply build tools that could defeat them." A more complex explanation than that would lead to details they wouldn't understand which I barely remembered.

"Yes, yes I see that, but _how _do you build these tools?"

I frowned at the question. Personally I never studied the technical aspect of machinery, not when I had to train myself.

"I know how." spoke Tukson. "I've read a lot of books on the subject."

"Books?" The Chief repeated.

"Uhh, it's like something to pass on information by writing it down."

"Ah yes, we use stones tablets for that. Very well, Zhu Rong, take this man and take every bit of information out." A tall black-haired woman wearing a cheongsam bowed to the chief before leading Tukson away.

"That's sounds like a threat." I readjusted myself into a more comfortable position.

"I assure you we will not harm such a valuable resource. For now why don't you relax where you are? Would you like a drink? Maybe some food?"

"I'm fine."

The chief shrugged. "Very well. You two keep this man company."

I pulled at my bonds, finding them expertly bound to my hands. I could probably break them with Aura enhanced strength but then I would be up against 500 Aura wielding warriors. I'm confident in my abilities but even Ozpin himself wouldn't like those odds.

Others in the crowd still stared at me warily, like I was a savage dog, but I ignored them. I needed a plan. It was obvious that they didn't plan to let us go. We were too valuable, having information critical to their survival.

_Damn, where did they put my katana?_

Now that people were starting to disperse themselves, I got my true first look at the place. The underground network seemed to consist of large and spacious connected caves. I hazarded a guess that if you didn't know the place like the back of your hand then you would easily get lost here. The cave was lit by glowing dust crystals lined across the walls placed on special stands. The light wasn't enough illuminate the ceiling but they gave a reddish tint to the stone walls. Above there wasn't a sign of where we fell from so we were probably moved when we got knocked unconscious.

A girl with blue hair approached me inquisitively. "Hello mister, what's it like to be up there?"

_Ahh damn, I'm not good with kids._

"On the surface?" I replied gruffly.

"Yup, my grandaddy said it's really dangerous on the surface so I never been up." She swung her arms playfully. "Hey is the Moon reaaally shattered?"

"What makes you say that?" If I was anywhere else, I would call that common sense but here it's another matter entirely.

"Grandaddy told me a poem! Um, how did it go? I think it went like this?

The Sun and the Moon lived a happy life,

Because they were married, the moon was the wife.

But the dragon was angry. It was grim.

So it attacked the Sun, making it dim.

The Sun fought with fire and heat,

And the heartless dragon flew with a beat.

The dragon got closer and almost ate the Sun,

But the Sun's friends came together and finally won.

So the dragon turned on the moon,

Shattered it to pieces and soon,

The Sun got angry with a boom.

The Sun shined its light.

Gave people the power to fight.

And they fought the dragon off with their might.

The dragon turned clever.

It saw we didn't fight at night whatsoever.

It shed its powers, animals into heartless,

They hurt us at night, we felt so hopeless.

But the Sun got angry again.

It created the Faunus.

They managed to save us.

Now we work together.

And we lived happily ever after.

That's it I think? Is the Moon _really _shattered_?_"

_How am I supposed to respond to that?_

"Ahh yeah it is, that's a nice poem little girl."

"Uh huh, it's my favourite one."

"Qing, what are you doing there!? Get back here now!"

Qing was forcefully pulled back by a woman. "Don't talk to him alright?" the woman said.

"OK mama." Qing said mournfully. The mother nodded in satisfaction and took her hand directing her towards the exit.

Breathing away my tension, I turned my mind back to the issue at hand. Tukson wasn't likely to help unless he realised the danger and even if he did he still had to get past that Zhu Rong. And if we did escape, we needed to recover the truck or it would take far too long to arrive in Vacuo.

The earthquake's aftershocks continued plaguing the system of caves. Dust crystals rattled on their stands. Flickering light cast spiking shadows across the walls.

I considered my options.

_As good as plan as any._

I slid myself, making it look as natural as possible, towards some nearby stones.

_Here goes nothing._

I kicked several stones sending them flying towards a glowing Dust crystal. My guards swiftly blocked or redirected them but some made it through. The jagged rock cracked into the red Dust crystal. It exploded outwards, fire engulfing the nearby air. My guards flinched at the sudden boom and light. I broke free from my restraints and knocked both of them out with a single punch.

I stole a staff on the way out, giving it an experimental swing. Along the way, I took the glowing Dust crystals to keep track of my route. According to my Aura detection, the majority of people had gathered somewhere southward. I wasn't sure why so I took routes to avoid that area. I detected Tukson's aura further up ahead, but even with knowledge of the paths I already crossed, it was nearly impossible to identify the correct route.

That didn't last long as I soon felt Zhu Rong's Aura approach.

"Many children are lead astray in these caves. I've learnt to seek the Auras of people to locate them. It wouldn't do for them for their life to end without achieving anything." Zhu Rong stepped from the shadows into the light of the glowing crystal. "So when I felt an Aura unfamiliar to me wandering these tunnels, I got curious as to who it could be."

"Nobody special."

"Hmm, cynical are we? Well that's fine, I ask that you return to where you were but the fact you're out with no one else tells me your not here for a tour."

"As if anyone would want to visit a ruin like this. You'd get captured and interrogated. Not my idea of a holiday."

She laughed a dainty laugh. "Unfortunately for you, you have no choice."

"Where is my sword?"

"Ahh, that beauty. I could tell you but that would be cheating. No one likes a cheating cheater who cheats at cheating." She waggled a finger at me.

"I don't care. Tell me!"

"Hmm, in the treasure room. Don't worry you'll know where it is in time. You'll be living here for a _very_ long time."

"I don't intend to."

"Oh how cute, you think your opinion matters!" She struggled to contain her giggles before failing and letting the sounds of her laughter echo through the cave tunnel. "You should be a comedian, not many can pull off the straight man as well as you."

This girl was annoying. Not even Jaune at his worst could infuriate me this much. I didn't let the anger cloud my judgment though. I knew this was a vicious woman, I could see it in her movements, could hear it in her voice. She reminded me of that 'woman' and it was unsettling that she gave of the same vibes as that 'woman'.

"So are we just going to stare at each other all day? You're not much fun if you're just standing there. Why rocks would make better com-"

I cut her off by swinging my staff at her. She leaped back, allowing the staff to ricochet off the wall. I snatched several Dust crystals I stashed in my pocket and hurled them at her feet. She leaped again, avoiding the blasts with ease.

"You're so rude! Who interrupts people when they're ta-"

I rushed forward spinning my staff, building its momentum, and swung downwards hard enough to split the ground. Zhu Rong tightened her stance and dodged with the barest of motion.

_The same speed as her..._

She pulled back, jabbing claw-like hands at me. I drove the end of the staff into her stomach and pushed her back. She rolled with the movement, expressing no pain.

_The same endurance as her..._

She dashed at me then dropped, performing a quick leg sweep. Taken aback by the unexpected movement, I was struck and forced onto fours. My shin would've snapped in two if it wasn't for the Aura reinforcing my bone.

_The same gracefulness as her..._

"Phew you sure hit hard, not as hard as Chief does but ouch I can sure feel it."

She uses the vermilion bird martial arts as well!

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this.**

**See my profile page on my thoughts of this chapter**


	3. Escort II

**Chapter 3**

There's something to be said about the fact that I encountered two different women using the same supposedly lost martial arts style. While 'that' woman tended to add fire to her attacks, dramatically increasing their effectiveness, Zhu Rong fought a bit more traditionally. It was impressive, given how hard it was to find serious martial artists. Most Hunters didn't see the point in learning how to throw a proper punch when they could use a weapon that fired ice bullets or homing missiles. Martial arts took time and dedication to utilize fully, and the average person wanted to take the easy route to power. Why spend years honing your body when you could combine a grenade launcher with a chainsaw in a fraction of the time? Add in the lack of range offered by martial arts… Don't get me wrong, I was good with a sword, but armed with a stol- er, _borrowed_ staff, she had me. I was adequate and she was a master.

I hastily blocked a punch aimed for my shoulder. Limited by the cramped tunnels, dodging boiled down to whether or not I could jump backwards in time. With her speed, she matched each of my rapid manoeuvres with little difficulty, not giving up an inch. My improvised weapon certainly didn't help, my swordplay translating poorly as I slashed and swung at Zhu Rong.

She took the blows head on and without complaint, no worse for the wear as her Aura absorbed the trauma.

I was screwed if it turned into an endurance match. I was used to cutting my opponents down quickly and efficiently, not outlasting them and tanking their hits. That didn't seem to a problem for her though.

"What's wrong? You look concerned?" Her voice, sweeter than honey, rang hollow.

"I'm…" I grunted as another blow smashed into my stomach, "_fine_." I retaliated with an Aura enhanced swing of my staff. It cracked against her head hard enough that I felt the reverb shoot up the staff.

"You don't look fine. I would say you look a bit worn out."

_She didn't even react to that? What kind of training did this girl go through?_

"Long day."

"We all have our bad days I guess." She shrugged; not missing a beat as she nearly took my head off.

"You remind me of someone, someone I once fought."

"Oh, and who might that be?" She paused her attacks, head tilted to the side. "This martial art isn't that common you know."

"It was a woman, who actually looked a lot like you." I panted, looking to recover some Aura before the fight started anew.

"Huh, sounds like it could've been my sister. She disappeared years ago but she was a prodigy when it came to Zhu Que, mastered it by 13. She left soon afterwards." She frowned."How is she doing?" She added, almost as an afterthought.

"She tried to drown me in fire." I answered honestly.

"Sounds like her." She laughed. "She always tried solving problems with fire." Zhu Rong resumed her attack with a nostalgic smile on her face. Probably thinking about the 'good old days' with her sister while she was trying to cave my face in.

She wasn't as physically strong as 'that' woman but she more than made up for it in technical skill. Zhu Rong targeted a vulnerable point with each strike, seamlessly flowing toward her next target as I blocked or dodged her attacks.

_I'm losing. I can't keep this up._

Grabbing another Dust crystal, I threw it against the ground. An explosion echoed through the tunnels as a cloud of smoke filled the room. I dashed away from her, coughing as I ran, my body aching from her attacks and slightly singed from the explosion.

"Oy! Come back here coward!"

_Yeah, no chance._

The staff was better than nothing, but according to Zhu Rong, my sword was being kept in the treasure room. And having my sword was definitely better than trying to beat her with my borrowed staff. I didn't exactly know where the room was, but where there was treasure there were usually guards. I used my Aura Detection to scan the area for any signs of people, immediately picking out a vast number in that one room I had avoided. Some of the Auras I found were weak, almost certainly belonging to children or the like, while others were vibrant and strong. Dismissing the weaker Auras, I headed towards the strongest pair nearby.

Zhu Rong was still pursuing me, yelling and cursing up a storm. She was fast but not enough to overtake me and I easily kept my lead. I only had a couple of Dust crystals left, which would be wasted by throwing them at Zhu Rong. She'd likely dodge anything I could throw unless it was at point-blank range, and even then, she'd probably just ignore the damage.

The two people came into view, along with a large opening directly behind them. With Zhu Rong shouting, they quickly noticed me and pointed their staves at me. I tossed a Dust crystal at them, forcing the duo to scatter to avoid the explosion. I ducked inside, noting the various precious metals and relics scattered about. I allowed myself a small smirk, if this wasn't the treasure room I'd eat my staff. Zhu Rong swept into the room after me, breathing a bit heavier but with a determined look on her face.

_Heh, guess even she had to run out of steam eventually._

I gave the room another once-over, desperately trying to find my sword before my rematch with the mad martial artist.

_Found you!_

Just behind an obnoxious pile of gold, stood a pedestal, my glorious katana resting atop it.

"You know, you're good at running but it's a dead-end here." Zhu Rong admonished as she stalked towards me, probably thinking she had me cornered.

"You're right, this is a dead end." I threw the staff at her as I lunged for my sword."For you that is." I grabbed my katana, the familiar weight and feel filling me with confidence. Preparing an iado, I struck her in the chest as she reflexively dodged the staff. Her eyes widened and she staggered back, reeling with both pain and surprise. I didn't relent, continuing my barrage methodically and mechanically, each successive hit draining her Aura as she failed to avoid my attacks. The tables had truly turned and I could see the sweat forming on her brow as I chipped away at her defenses.

That seemed to be the final straw for the guards, who had been content to hang back and watch our fight until it looked like Zhu Rong would lose. But only one entered the treasure room, meaning the other was probably getting reinforcements.

_I need to leave._

While it was satisfying to finally be on the other side of the beat down, I needed to save Tukson and get out of there. I regretfully disengaged and ran towards the exit. The guard leapt at me clumsily, missing by a mile and plunging into the pile of gold.

Retracing my steps, I ran in the direction Zhu Rong had initially come from. The last time I saw Tukson, she had been escorting him so... My idea turned out to be correct as I found Tukson sitting on the edge of an old bed.

"Adam!" He shouted, springing to his feet.

"We need to leave. Now!"

He nodded vigorously and we sprinted back through the tunnels. They had to have known we'd escaped by then and were likely hunting us as we ran. The problem then, was how to find the truck.

"Tukson, any ideas on where the truck is?" I asked the man as we came to yet another identical-looking intersection.

"Yeah, I saw it on the way to my room. They asked me about it but, damn, I don't remember which way it was."

"Wait, so they know it can be used for travel?" I asked as we dashed down the leftmost tunnel.

"They should. I explained what it was and what it could do, even why we brought it."

In other words, they knew that we needed it. They'd heavily guard it, practically hold it hostage if they had to.

And that meant they'd need lots of people guarding it. I activated my Aura Detection at regular intervals to determine where people were. The heaviest concentration of Aura was the place I had sensed earlier, somewhere vaguely south of our location at the time.

While difficult, we navigated the maze-like tunnel system until we eventually reached the right cavern. Unsurprisingly, we were met with a veritable swarm of warriors. Zhu Rong was there as well, nonchalantly leaning against the truck. She smiled at me, waving as if we were old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while.

_No point hiding from a sensor._

I assumed it was the original cavern we had fallen in, given the debris littered floor and roughly hewn skylight that let moonlight flood the room. Tukson must have made some serious improvements to the vehicle, since it looked miraculously undamaged. No way a normal truck could have taken that fall without so much as a scratch.

"Hey what's up? You ran off in the middle of our fight, I think I could have turned the battle around there." Zhu Rong pouted, mock hurt filling her voice. "You know, I'm kinda kicking myself for telling you where your sword was. Was kinda stupid."

"Winning that battle wasn't my objective, it was to save Tukson." I stated bluntly.

"That faunus fellow ey? Yeah fight for your comrades! That's half the reason we live after all!"

"No, it's because I'm getting paid." I half-lied.

"Paid huh?" She looked a touch disappointed for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Say, you saw that big pile of yellow metal right? How about we hire your services? Not you, mister sword fighter, but you, Tukson. It would be mutually beneficial for us to work together and build a happier future. We didn't actually treat you badly did we? We chatted and I think you even laughed at one of my jokes." Her eyes shifted over to me."Really it was your paranoid friend here that caused this whole mess in the first place."

I frowned at that. Did I really jump the gun? There's no way they'll let some strangers through here without interrogation. From the sounds of it though it seemed more like a Friday night chat than a cold empty questioning.

I like to think he would reject it, but I wasn't sure. If he's fleeing from someone then what better place to hide than in the middle of Grimm infested lands? Here he would get respect, money and maybe even love if he played his cards right.

Except I knew better than that.

People always take advantage of each other and if he moves here then he's just being enslaved to another organisation. Freedom is what he wants and he won't get it here.

Whether they are faunus or humans, we are a selfish species.

Tukson has no real reason to help them. If I were him I would've rejected the offer.

You can't live a life of giving.

My hands were turning clammy. Tukson was taking his time answering. He had his head down so I couldn't see his face. I swallowed hard.

Then he lifted his head and turned towards me.

Don't tell me he's seriously considering it? There's no point in accepting. You're just going to be another slave to another organisation.

He had his head down so I couldn't see his face.

"I'm staying." He said quietly.

"What!?" I nearly shouted, ruining any pretence of professionalism I was clinging to.

"I said I'm staying, I can make a difference here. These people can truly live a better life if I helped. I can build the start of a foundation to a new Kingdom." Tukson sighed. "Maybe one day, the other Kingdoms will be inspired by the equal nature between faunus and humans here."

"Tukson, you're giving up on civilisation. You don't have the freedom to contact Blake or any of your other friends or family." I was grasping at straws. "Your life will always be in danger here!"

"I know and I want you to tell Blake that I'm sorry but I've decided. This place sees you for who you are, not what you are, and there won't be segregation like there was in the other Kingdoms. You know, as a child, I wanted to be a scientist. I studied hard and got good grades, but I was always passed over because it said faunus on my paperwork. People are treated equal here and that's something I can't say about the world out there."

"But that doesn't mean you have to just accept their decision, you don't even know these people! They might stab you in the back the minute you let your guard down!"

"Even so, it's a leap of faith I'm willing to take for a better future."

I was speechless. He was dropping everything to help hundreds of people he'd just met to make "better futures".

"Adam." Tukson said softly. "Do you remember when we were driving and we saw that pack of Beowolves, what I said then?"

"...You said that someone would have the ideas to succeed."

"Exactly." He nodded. "It's the natural progression of life."

"Here, this is my secret bank account. I was planning on using this when I arrived in Vacuo but well, I don't exactly need it anymore."

Tukson passed me some documents which I accepted blankly.

"Well Adam, this is the end. Tell Blake that I'm living the dream. Oh, and she can have all the books in my shop. I'm sure she'll be busy with them."

He began to walk to Zhu Rong. I stared at his back as he went.

"Wait, Tukson." I called out.

"Hmm? What is it Adam?" He shifted his head sideways

"That organisation after you. Who are they?"

"They're called the White Fang. I was a member but I didn't want to deal with the violence and needless death anymore." He shook his head. "Be careful of them, even a low ranked member like me heard rumours about their leader, a phoenix who flies on wings made of fire. I believe she was known as Cinder."

"Cinder..." I repeated, committing the name to memory

_Was that who I fought before?_

Tukson stood next to the chief and Zhu Rong. "Adam over there is allowed to leave with the truck unharmed."

"Of course," said the chief. "If that's your wish. Men, women, help the swordsman get his metal box to the surface!"

Faunus and human alike manned a surprisingly elaborate system of pulleys to hoist the truck to the surface. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, ignoring their obvious physical differences to accomplish the task at hand. It took some time, but the vehicle was eventually plopped onto the surface with a muted thud.

"Adam, it was good meeting you. I would've never got here without you." He clasped my hand in genuine friendship. "I think if I never did I would've been killed, so really, you saved my life in more ways than one."

"Yeah, you too Tukson." I responded lamely.

He gave me a last nod and I leapt out of the cavern.

I drove back slowly. Grimm came after me but I killed them all. The Sun rose shining a brilliant gold, blowing away the moonlight and washing me in its warmth.

_Fight for a better future huh._

* * *

"Adam…" My dad called me. He was on his bed, paler than I'd ever seen before and sweating mightily.

"'I'm here, Dad." I tried and failed to keep the quiver out of my voice as I gripped his hands tightly.

"Son, I know you're going to face a hard future ahead of you, but if you listen to only one thing I say, listen to this." He took a deep breath before coughing as I watched helplessly.

I nodded my head over and over, fighting back the tears that were running down my cheeks.

"Humans and faunus have been fighting each other for as long as I can remember. I've seen too many friends of mine, from both species, get killed because of that resentment. Don't fall into that, Adam." My dad stared despairingly into my eyes. "One day, not today or tomorrow but one day, maybe in your lifetime son, people will band together to leave the hate behind. Adam, I don't want you to take part in that cycle of violence. I didn't teach you to fight just so you could defend yourself." He paused to let that sink in. "It was to teach you to stand up for others, so you could fight for a better future. Never forget what it is you're fighting for, Adam."

"OK Dad I will, I promise! I-I swear on everything I own!"

"Thank you son." He spoke slowly, wheezing out the last words. "I will always be proud of you."

"Dad? Dad! Wake up, please!" I shook him but he wouldn't respond. "…please."

He remained still on the bed.

* * *

I stashed the truck in one of those advanced pocket systems that was pioneered by the postal service. They were actually bigger on the inside, if you can believe it. Going in the same way I snuck out, I entered Vale. The night was cold enough that I could see my breath in the wind. I arrived a day before Jaune was set to be released.

I headed into my flat, tossed the documents on my desk, removed my weapon and fell hard against the bed. I groaned from the pain of landing on all my bruises. I had a hard time sleeping that night.

* * *

**AN: So that concludes the escort arc. If you want to know my thoughts on each chapter, click my profile page. And of course many thanks to BozarBoy for his beta reading skills.**


	4. First case I

**Chapter 4 (Jaune Arc)**

Being bandaged up like a mummy wasn't as bad as it seemed. I mean yeah, eating was pretty hard, changing the T.V. channel with my toe was a lost cause, and don't even mention the toiletry problems.

I had enough nightmares about that, thank you very much.

No, it was really relaxing just lying down all day watching infomercials. I didn't have to worry about responsibilities and I got a nice peaceful room. All was well.

Oh, who am I fooling, three days of doctor appointments equaled three days of complete _boredom_. Being stuck in the hospital was more torturous than being burned alive, and I'm speaking from experience! Heck, I would have preferred being tossed off a cliff instead of having to spend another day in bed.

You can imagine my surprise when the door to my room burst open, followed by my Mom storming in. Greying and wrinkled, she still held a youthful energy that few my age could match and it showed as she stomped to the foot of my bed. Dear old Dad followed in his wheelchair, rolling to a stop behind my mother. They were rather red-faced for some reason. It reminded me of this one time at Christmas, when they got so sloshed that Dad thought he was a turkey and Mom tried eating his fingers.

Ah, good times.

"Young man, what's this about jumping into a fire I hear about?" Mom asked, her tone indicating she was in no mood for one of my… explanations.

"M-Mom," I stuttered. "It was for a, um, good cause?"

"That is no excuse for recklessly putting yourself in danger! Why, I thought you were just looking for lost cats or helping old ladies with their missing luggage, but here you are, in a _hospital _looking like you're dressed for Halloween."

"Mom, that's not what a detective does." I wilted under her glare before hastily adding, "Usually."

"Yes, I know honey." She admitted, deflating a bit as she spent her pent-up anger. "I just don't understand why you couldn't pick a safe job like mine." She straightened up subconsciously. "Working at the bank is a very respectable profession."

"Yes Mom, I know that but I want to do this."

She sighed deeply and I could hear her lungs rattle in protest. "Well it's better than what you wanted to do before. I mean a Hunter? Fighting those monsters? You must be crazy to consider that as a job."

"Hey! Dad was a Hunter! And his dad! And his dad before that! They were heroes to people."

"Yes, but that was so many years ago." She looked out the window with her weathered eyes. "Your dad is retired now. The public doesn't recognise the Arc name anymore, Jaune. They haven't since we were much younger. Charging into some glorious battle isn't the only way to live now. You can start a family safely, there's no need to risk yourself and abandon them."

I tried turning away so I wouldn't have to face those wet eyes of hers, only to be stopped by the cast wrapped around my neck. I settled for staring at the ceiling. Truth was that I still wanted to be a Hunter. If someone had offered me a place at Beacon right then, I would've accepted in a heartbeat.

"Hey son?" I turned towards my dad. Old with liver spots and stuck in a wheelchair. Age doesn't stop you, but it can sure slow you down.

"Hey Dad, you're quiet. Something up?"

He grimaced. "It's just maybe I've told you too many stories of our ancestors. As you a kid you loved hearing about them, but I'm afraid I pushed you towards a more violent path."

"Dad, you know that's not true." I assured him. "I chose this life. Not you, not mom, nor my seven sisters."

"I just wished I could have taught you more about Hunting." Dad looked up, probably thinking about days long passed.

Mom had a tissue out and was drying her eyes. "At the time we didn't want your future to be about slaying beasts. We wanted you to live happily in a way people a hundred years ago couldn't."

"You were always such a quiet child see, you never fussed or screamed. Your sisters on the other hand, they were each such a handful; I swear I used to break into a cold sweat every time they cried." He laughed heartily and wiped away a tear. "Anyway that doesn't really matter now, because you've decided on this detective thing. I read about your cases in the newspaper but I don't really understand. However, your mother and I could never be prouder of you than we are now." He took a moment to compose himself. "We put together some money and hired an expert Hunter to teach you how to fight. We know you'll keep putting yourself into these dangerous situations, but at least now, you'll be able to defend yourself. "

"Mom, Dad you didn't have to! I'm earning loads from my cases. I just finished a job with the Schnee Dust Company!" Hiring Hunters to teach people personally was horribly expensive. I didn't know how much it was, but I bet their bank account was nearly dry. "Don't burden yourselves like that on my behalf."

_Especially you Dad_, I didn't say.

"Don't you dare say that!" My mom screeched. "It is never a burden for a parent to do what they think is best for their child."

"Sorry Mom." I murmured.

My dad grinned. "If your old man wasn't so weak in the knees, he would teach you himself."

"Thanks Dad, I know you would."

"Of course," my dad said. "This doesn't excuse you from how utterly stupid you were."

I winced. I knew what was coming and I wasn't going to enjoy it.

"-AND NEVER EVER WORRY YOUR PARENTS SO MUCH AGAIN!"

Talking to your parents can be daunting. They raised you, knew every embarrassing secret from your childhood and can bring all sorts of awkward topics up, but...

_Their eyes wrinkled with concern and their mouths lined with worry._  
…They're on your side.

My parents left after a long conversation that somehow covered everything and nothing. Naturally they felt the need to leave with sloppy kisses and pinched cheeks. Urgh, I couldn't even reach up to wipe my face. With nothing else to do, I thought back on my old cases, especially my first one. Dad wanted me to get experience at the police station and I went along with it since it brought me one step closer to my dream. Even now, I still barely believe I made it here.  
_  
_6 months ago__

"Jaune Arc, reporting for duty!"

My first day working with a police officer, not counting training of course. Sure, it was different from my dream of being a Hunter, but policemen were heroes in their own way.

Messy people though, if Officer Benedict's desk was any indication.

"Easy Jaune, no need to be so formal." Officer Benedict said with a grin. "Your dad asked me to take care of you and I can't do that if you're saluting me every five minutes."

Officer Benedict was an old friend of my dad's. Even in his old age, Benedict was the sort of guy who would help an elderly person carry their bags across the street just as easily as he would take on an Ursa with his bare hands. Tall and muscular, he wore a simple white shirt and black trousers.

I grinned sheepishly, but I couldn't help it. I felt pumped, ready to take on the world. I was finally doing something instead of daydreaming about it.

"OK Jaune, you can keep your feet on the ground right? Not going to start a musical number?" He asked in an amused tone of voice.

I stopped bouncing my legs, and scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Er, no. "

"Anyway, you're in luck. You're just in time for our ride."

"Huh? What ride?" I asked.

"Your old man didn't tell you? We're heading to the airport and then flying to Patch. You'll get a better experience there than here."

"Wait!" Panic began rising in my chest. "How long are we staying? I haven't brought any clothes or anything!"

"Relax kid, I already had your parents send your luggage ahead of you. They should be at the hotel by now."

"Oh, had me really worried there. I thought I would've had to dash back home and throw whatever I had into my suitcase."

Officer Benedict chuckled. "Hey, give your old man some credit. He was the one who suggested this little vacation in the first place. Once he gets an idea, he can be more stubborn than a mule and somehow convinces me to play along... Hmm, come to think of it, that's how it always been."

Officer Benedict went off on a grand spiel involving dad and something or other about an aquatic Grimm.

It was weird hearing about my dad in his "glory days". Dad himself never talked about that time, said his achievements paled in comparison to my granddad's and my great-granddad's and his were, well you get the picture. It seems he was being modest because, even if only half of what Officer Benedict said was true, I would still be impressed.

Soon afterwards we arrived at the airport. Well sort of soon, Officer Benedict actually stopped along the way to help a child who had lost his balloon, a man to change his tire, and even the ever cliché cat stuck in a tree. It actually made me feel like a better man doing all these tasks even if it was Officer Benedict who did most of the work.

The airship was a massive mechanical monstrosity that moonlighted as a warship. It had cannons built into its sides and large spikes sat at the front of the deck. With all that heavy weaponry I wasn't surprised it moved slowly. Having been converted for civilian use though, the interior design could only be described as luxurious.

We boarded the airship without much trouble. There was a terrifying moment when I realised I didn't have my identification paperwork, only for my senior to whip it out and laugh at my stone cold expression.

I swore I would ignore him the whole trip.

I lasted about a minute on the airship.

"Urgh, vision wavering, balance failing, stomach queasying..." I staggered against a large window, which was a mistake since I could see miles of nothing but air and sea.

Officer Benedict had his hand on his chin. "I don't think queasying is a word."

"Don't care. Help me. You're an officer right? Defend the weak!"

"Hahaha." He shook his head while laughing. "Sorry Jaune, you're just going to have to suck it up. I would say to get some fresh air, but all the windows are locked for safety reasons. Hmm, the toilet is round the corner if you need to hurl. But do try to hold your stomach in, I would feel sorry for the guy who has to empty the bathroom contents when we land." He paused. "Although I do hear stories of people dropping rings down toilets, then the guy that goes through them finds the treasures and sells them off."

I gave him the only response I could give.

"Urghh." I banged my head against the window. "Not what I want to hear when I'm sick."

Deciding to leave Officer Benedict, I dragged myself back toward our room. Along the way, I walked past a non-descript employee being shouted at by a short man wearing a business suit.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, LUGGING MY EXPENSIVE LUGGAGE AROUND LIKE THAT!?"

"I'm sorry Dad, but-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES. EVEN WHEN I'VE GOT YOU THIS MEASLY, SIMPLE JOB YOU STILL FAIL AT IT!"

I could see the boy shaking, his hands clenched tightly as if he was ready to punch someone. I winced at another barrage of insults.

The businessman was breathing deeply, letting him regain his composure. "Leave and sort it out."

The boy nodded and shuffled quickly away.

I felt bad for the poor guy. I knew exactly what it was like to not live up to expectations. Always failing and needing someone else to help, never letting you stand up on your own. You live your life crawling because you don't know how to do anything else.

I sighed and carried on.

"Hey, you need some help?"

I looked up. Hand on hip, a blonde woman about my age stood before me. She wore a practised smirk that spoke well of her personality. The one thing that caught my eyes was her yellow bracelets. They were oddly shaped in that they pointed inwards towards her. Somehow I knew there was more to them than met the eye. I didn't think much else on it though, as the ship rumbled again and I had to hold down my stomach contents.

"Nope, I'm just fine. Just... inspecting the carpet."  
_  
It was a very clean carpet. Tasteful even._

"Really?" I can practically see the amusement plastered on her face. "Because if I didn't know any better, I would say you're airsick."

She was right of course, not that I'd admit it. "You're imagining it." Which may have sounded more convincing if I hadn't wheeze out those words.

She rolled her eyes. "OK mister macho man. I'll leave you to your," She paused, scrutinising over my crooked form, "Inspecting." She strolled away after that.  
_  
_Maybe I should have accepted? I'm barely standing under my own power as it is. Ahh jeez, it's too late anyway, she's already gone._  
_  
I hobbled the rest of the way to my room in miserable silence. Using my keycard to open the electronic lock, I let myself in and collapsed onto my bed. The door shut behind me with a small 'beep' indicating it was locked again. The ride to Patch would last around four hours. According to the clock on the wall, it was half past two.  
_  
_Great, another three and a half hours before this torturous ride is over.__

I distracted myself by exploring the room, which was spacious enough to comfortably dance in without bumping into anything. Not that I was planning on dancing any time soon. I didn't think my stomach would be able to handle my intense moves, let alone the ship if I got serious.

Bored after finding nothing of interest in the cabinets, I recalled several detective television shows I had watched in my initial excitement over working with the police. One I remembered particularly well was about a consulting detective who found all the facts through the power of observation. He could just scan a crime scene and **bam**, he would catch the criminal just like that.

I had to admit, I squealed like a little girl when he did that.

I imagined myself standing there in front of the crowd ready to reveal the true criminal. The gathered audience sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of my deduction, and with a flourish, I would dramatically point towards the true culprit.

Heh, too bad fantasy doesn't exist in this world.

I heard knocking on the door and I swung myself from the bed to open it. Officer Benedict stood there with a grin on his face.

"C'mon Jaune, they're giving out food now." He cheerfully announced.

"I think food is the last thing my stomach wants." I grumbled.

He forced me out anyway and pushed me along the hall way. The dining room looked right out of a 5 star restaurant. I trampled my way forward, head down to keep myself orientated. I bumped into a girl along the way, and I mumbled an apology before walking around her.

"Still inspecting the floor I see!" Came a bright voice.  
_  
_Oh please don't tell me I ran into her._  
_  
I lifted my eyes off the ground and yup, there she stood in all her glory.

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, they're um really clean."

She smacked my back, hard. "Hey it's all right to say you're a little sick. Just you know, if you're gonna throw up, aim anywhere but me. This hair doesn't clean itself and you wouldn't like me if it got damaged. I tend to get...explosive."

Somehow I think she meant that more literally than figuratively.

"Right, no problem. I'll make sure not to do that."

"Well well well Jaune I have to say, I did not expect you to find a girlfriend so soon. Aren't you going to introduce her?" Officer Benedict said with a sly grin.

My neck snapped towards the amused officer.

"Wuh?" I spluttered. "We've just met! There hasn't been anything between us!"

"Jaune let's be honest here. How many girls wants to talk to a boy who looks green enough to be in a hospital?"

"All she's said was stuff about me being ill. She's just a concerned person." I turned over to the blonde to prove my point.

She had that insufferable grin again.

"We're not in a relationship," She said. "Really, he just reminds me of my dorky little sister. I'm coming back from a trip and she's been bugging me to see her again."

"Excellent," said Officer Benedict in approval. "Always maintain your relationships with your family. Good family always has your back!"

"Y-yeah." she stammered.

Somehow I got the feeling that there's something deeper behind her hesitation, but well it would be rude to pry.

"Why don't you join us for a late lunch? I'm sure you'll enjoy the company." Officer Benedict winked at me and I hid my face in embarrassment.

She raised her eyebrows at us. I'm pretty sure she saw the wink.

"Sure, why not?" She shrugged and followed us to a nearby table.

As it turns out, I did end up eating some chicken soup. It helped keep my throat clear, and I was sure I'd make it until the end of the trip without any accidents.

"Hey, you see that tall guy over there?" The blonde girl, whose name I really should have learned, said as she pointed at a man a few tables away from us. "He's that upcoming famous Hunter who uses that Gun-axe. I think his name was Daniel. I heard my sis go on and on about how he's gaining sponsorship deals. She told me that he's more of a 'celebrity' huntsman than a 'Hunter' huntsman."

"Woah! I think I might get his autograph." I said, genuinely star-struck.

"You haven't seen anything yet. See that lady with the umbrella? Her name is Yato. She's known among the hunters as one of the strongest brutes. She's uses that umbrella she always carries as her main weapon."

"Your sister told you this?"

"Nope, I read some boxing stuff and she came up in one of the articles. I guess you could say," A beat. "That she's raining in the readers." She looked at me expectantly.

If she thought I would laugh at that pun she's going to be sorely disappointed. "I'm surprised you're not asking her for an autograph." I remarked.

The blonde pouted at having her joke ignored but bounced back quickly. "She doesn't like that, says that their role as Hunters is to defend humanity, not play some celebrity."

She left soon after that, said something about wanting to sort out a few things out in her room. I carried on eating some more while talking to Officer Benedict. Part way though, the captain himself sat down on the table beside us.

Officer Benedict ended up talking with the captain. He was a short and portly man who looked to be in his fifties. Befitting a captain, he wore a lavish navy uniform adorned with several medals.  
_  
_He was the kind of guy who liked to ramble on for hours. I mean, it was pretty impressive that he managed to give his opinion about the weather for a straight 30 minutes. Right now though he was going through a long-winded speech on the meals we were eating.

"As you can see Mr. Benedict, the food is most simply exquisite." I could feel his deep booming voice through my bones. "We hired the best chef to prepare these fine culinary dishes."

"Yes, I can certainly taste that subtle aroma in my sandwich. Really, the lettuce must be at their juiciest because my taste buds can't get enough of them."

The captain missed the sarcasm and slapped him on the back.

"Ohoho, indeed. Why, only my chef can make such a simple meal rich in flavour like that!"

Officer Benedict rolled his eyes and gave me a sly grin.

I hid a smile behind my napkin.

Our meal was interrupted by the same employee who I saw being shouted at earlier. He was nervously limping towards the captain.

"Sir!" His hands played with themselves. "My dad, he isn't responding to me. I tried knocking on his door many times and even called him on his scroll, but he isn't replying. Sir, I'm worried. Can you please use your master keycard to unlock the door?"

Taken aback by the sudden request, the captain's eyebrows rose sharply. "Why yes my boy, we shan't dilly dally any longer. Show us where your father's room is located."

"We'll come as well." said Officer Benedict. The captain tried to argue that there was no need but when Officer Benedict pulled out his badge, the captain eventually relented.

Our group followed behind the employee who looked as if he was walking to his own funeral. We passed through the same hallway where I met that blonde girl and stopped a few doors later.

"Jaune," Officer Benedict said while looking into my eyes. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Be prepared for the worst case scenario."  
_  
_Well that was ominous._  
_  
The captain raised his card to the sensor and it beeped quietly. The small LED light on the sensor changed from red to green.

Officer Benedict hastily grabbed the handle and prepared to push but was stopped by something. "Hm? That's funny, the door won't open."

"That can't be the case officer." Said the confused employee. "The LED light is green now. It should be open."

"Hang on, I think the door is blocked by something." Officer Benedict heaved and light began emitting from him. I felt his power flaring and even though Officer Benedict was one of the nicest guys I knew, I couldn't help but feel intimidated. Judging by the looks on the captain and employee's face, they felt it as well.

The door easily swung open. A suitcase was near the door, presumably what blocked the door as there wasn't anything else nearby. A stench like rusty nails wafted at me.

On the floor, a large puddle of blood filled the centre of the room. I saw a man in a business suit, with a wound at the top of his skull in the middle of the room away from any objects, lying face down.

He wasn't moving.

"DAD!" The employee sprinted inside the room, tripping and landing hard in the blood. He scrambled onto his knees and checked his father's throat for a pulse.

"NO! Dad, wake up!" The employee, panicking, shook his body. I felt my stomach twisting from nausea.

Officer Benedict moved with speeds unexpected from a man his size. He grabbed the employee's shoulder violently, pushing him away. His critical eye scanned the body and he grimaced.

"He's dead. Looks like he smashed his head by accident." He noticed the employee still milling about. "Everybody out of the room now!" yelled Officer Benedict.

Officer Benedict had an uncharacteristic frown on his face as he walked out. The employee's face, whiter than snow, stumbled away. Despite the fall his outfit was as clean, if a bit crumpled, as it was before.

Apart from Officer Benedict, the employee was the only who had entered the room. We were all too stunned at the image. Officer Benedict slammed the door shut after we all gathered at the entrance.

I was breathing heavily, trying to calm my thumping heart down.

"Nobody enters the room." Gone was the jolly Officer Benedict, a hardened veteran stood in his stead. "This is now under the jurisdictions of Vale's police force and nobody will tamper with the body or the room. People die all the time from accidents so let's respect the dead. We all got that?"

Each of us nodded.

"Captain, how long until we reach our destination." asked the now serious officer.

Said man pulled out his pocket watch. "We are about half way to Patch. It will take another two hours before we land."

"Are there any closer locations where we can land?"

"None I'm afraid."

Officer Benedict grimaced and nodded. "Don't mention any of this to the other passengers. We don't want a riot on our hands. Captain, I suggest you give your employee there some time off."

"Of course. Son, you heard him, your shift ends now. Take some time to rest before we land."

The employee nodded miserably and trudged away.

Officer Benedict turned towards me. "Jaune, go back to your room. You had a long trip. I'll stay here and talk to the Captain some more."

I wanted to say I could help, that if we worked together we would find a solution. I bit back my response and nodded.

I headed back to my room. The blonde girl from earlier joined me part way through. "Don't you have your own room?" I asked.

"I do but it looks like you need the company. If it helps, I saw you guys react to something horrible. I heard that officer say body and I could guess what happened." She answered.

"Yeah I suppose. Just the shock of it you know?" I waved my arms aimlessly. "I saw him alive earlier but now he's gone."

"That's just how the world works. One day they're there and the next they're gone."

Again, I had that inkling that she wasn't telling me the whole story, that on some deeper level she held a wish that no amount of praying would give.

"Have you experienced this before? Is that why you can still stand firm now?"

Her eyes turned a shade sadder but she smiled it off. "No, I'm standing firm because I have legs!"

I blinked at her horrible attempt of a joke. It was so out there that I laughed anyway. "C'mon, ladies first."

I unlocked my room and she shot me a smile as she entered.

"Did you hear where they went after I left?" I asked.

"Yup, they both went headed to the main consoles room to contact the police in Patch. It sounded like they'll take a while."

I thanked her for the information and strolled in.

All the rooms on this floor was identical. That blonde girl was standing about where the victim died. Nothing was near her.

My brow deepened.

"Jaune, what's up? You got a scary look on your face."

"Oh! It's nothing, just an odd thought."

"You can't leave me out after saying that. Go on, I'm listening."

"Well, it's just the position of the wound is weird. It's right on the crown of the head. He would have to fall directly on top of his skull to do that. What sort of accident causes that?"

She shrugged. "Maybe he was jumping on the bed and fell off? Or he hit the roof?"

"He really doesn't give the impression of a guy who jumps on beds for fun." I replied dryly. "More importantly, there weren't any objects near him, including the bed. Plus the ceiling is kind of high. You probably need to be a Huntsman to jump that high."

I started pacing throughout the room, clues whizzing past my brain. "The heavy suitcase was placed in front of the door yet he sustained injuries that were pretty damn impossible to pull off by himself."

"Hey wait! I got it! How about he was carrying the suitcase above his head, but he accidentally dropped it while near the door? He didn't get knocked out immediately so he stumbled a bit before dropping to where he is now." The blonde proposed.

"Maybe," I conceded. "But that explanation feels off as well."

"I'm fresh out of ideas then. What do you think?"

I tapped my fingers on my leg, organising my thoughts.

"The door was locked and barricaded from the inside. If we assume the victim was murdered then we would have to explain how the culprit managed to lock the door, place a heavy suitcase up to the door from the inside and then escape the room. The door is no problem, it automatically locks if you close it but the suitcase is harder to explain. We'll also have to explain how the murderer got into the room. If we assume it's an accident or suicide then we have to explain how he got those injuries. The problem with that is I don't see why he would go about such a roundabout way of killing himself if it was a suicide. An accident though? What would cause a scenario like that in a reasonable way?" I began pacing to let off my pent-up energy. "We need to investigate some more, Watson."

"Watson?" she asked with a tinge of confusion.

"Yup, I don't want to keep calling you 'hey' or 'you' anymore. It was messing up my internal monologues to keep referring to you as that 'blonde girl' as well."

Finally I stopped pacing and faced her.

And she was looking at me with her face scrunched up.

"I, uh," __Damn, I did not mean to come off that rude._ _"At least that's what I think. I mean if you don't want me to call you that or if you don't want to investigate then..." I scratched my head, embarrassed.

That blonde girl did the last thing I expected, and she burst out laughing. "Oh, oh…" She wiped a tear from her eyes. "Go ahead, usually by now guys would be all over me asking for my number, but you skipped right past that and made a pet name for me. Very bold of you."

I flushed, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. I swear I could feel my skin turn red.

"It was just for convenience sake!"

She carried on laughing, and I groaned at her.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the wait but I was literally writing the next 3 chapters at once. Usually I would write chronologically but since this is a mystery, I had to make sure everything made sense. Which meant I finished my draft for the last chapter of this arc before this chapter was completed. I figured I would need to explain how Jaune became what he is now so this is here to rectify that. Enjoy! The name Yato refers to an anime called Gintama where they're known as bloodthirsty species that wield umbrellas. Daniel's name has origins in Hebrew and means god is my judge. Take what you will from that.**

**Usual thanks goes to my beta reader BozarBoy.**


	5. First case II

**Chapter 5**

After she finished her bout of laughter, which lasted far too long in my opinion, she spoke. "So any plans now?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I have a few ideas since Officer Benedict locked the crime scene down. First, I want to check out the electronic lock on the door. Since they're all designed the same, we can just look at ours. Then we've got to gather some more information, maybe ask around if anyone saw anything."

"Sounds good to me." She pulled herself off the bed and gave me a smirk. "Let's go."

To summarise our inspection of the door, we found that you couldn't fit anything through the gap underneath. It was impossible for anyone to have adjusted the suitcase from outside the room since the door shut itself automatically. With that out of the way, I knew exactly who I wanted to question first.

"You know," began Watson. "When you said we were going to be asking around the ship, I didn't think you would go straight for the Hunters."

I gave an uncaring shrug. "They're Hunters for a reason, you know? They've probably seen or pulled off all kinds of tricks deemed impossible before." I shot her a small grin. "And come on, how could I not say hello to them? They're warriors who fight monsters! What about that isn't cool?"

"You're just using this as an excuse to get their autographs aren't you?" She teased.

"I guess that's _part_ of the reason." I admitted. "It's just a very small part; like so small, you can't even see it."

"Oh I can see it. You would be like '_Oh Mr. Hunter, I am such a _huge_fan. Can you please sign my shirt?' _or something along those lines." Her attempt at mimicking my voice was actually pretty good.

I didn't know whether that was because she was talented at imitating voices or if my voice was just that girly.

…I'd settle for the former.

Of course if I did ask for an autograph, I would have to ask for them to sign my shirt. I would never wash that shirt afterwards either. My mom would complain, but I could bring her around to it.

"I suppose a Hunter might be able to do it if they had the right Semblance." Watson reasoned.

"Semblance?" I asked, curious since I heard the capital 'S' when she said Semblance.

"Yup. It's a unique ability that's different for every Hunter. Mine's pretty cool, I get stronger the more I'm hit. "

"Really?!" There must've been some planets orbiting nearby because I was most definitely star-struck. "Are you training to be a Hunter then?"

"You bet I am!" Watson said proudly, flashing me a thumbs up.

_Maybe I should ask her for an autograph now? That way I could be ahead of the curve._

My musings stopped when I spotted Daniel, still in the dining room, devouring a tasty looking steak.

Eager to meet him, I quickly made my way over. He glanced at me as I approached and he finished off the piece he was eating.

As I got closer, I could see what Watson's sister had meant by 'celebrity' Hunter. He wore a hat reminiscent of a different era and a poncho designed more for flatlands than for cities. He even wore a smile that screamed 'Woman want me, Men want to _be_ me'.

I totally wasn't in awe right then.

…Okay, I lied. I was _totally_ in awe right then.

"Howdy kids." He said with a jaunty tip of his hat. "How can Ah help ya?"

"Ah well, I-I was wondering if uh, if-" I started nervously.

"Hey, you seen anyone suspicious-looking walk past that way?" Watson interrupted; pointing at the hallway leading to the crime scene. I shot her a glare which she poignantly ignored.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but chuckled after a moment. "That depends on who ya counts as suspicious, partner. Ah would say that employee earlier who was walkin' funny or even that Yato girl who looked angrier than a bull in a red corn field."

"Angrier than a bull?" Watson parroted.

"That's right. Y'all best watch yourselves; she got that red-hot anger going on. Ah could feel it like a dry desert in the middle of the summer in July."

"How about that employee?" I asked.

"That kid? Ah think every cowpoke on the ship overheard him being shouted at. Poor kid came out limping worse than an old shaggy dog with arthritis."

"When was this?"

"Around half past two, Ah reckon." His brow wrinkled. "Why all the questions?"

"Oh, no reason." I replied quickly. "Hehehe, just curious is all."

"That was so unconvincing." Watson whispered.

"Well, you try then," I hissed back. "See how easy it is under to lie under that gaze of his!"

"Y'all know Ah can hear you, right?"

Watson and I jumped back. "Heard what?" I asked, feigning ignorance to try and save face. "I didn't hear anything, did you hear anything Watson?"

"Nope, not a single word." Watson agreed.

"Yup, we were just talking about um...about what your Semblance could be?" I asked, grasping at straws. "Yup that's it. I'm just such a big fan of yours. You inspire so many people out there and I wanted to know everything about you." I swallowed nervously.

_I may have laid it on a __little thick there._

Daniel fixed his withering gaze on me.

_I feel like I'm in a stand- off here._

Finally, he relaxed his posture.

"Ah _am_ a pretty big deal. Ah mean, Ah'm in more magazines than a cow's got spots! It's already been said in a few interviews, but Ah got a Semblance hotter'n my momma's chilli sauce."

"So you've got a fire-related Semblance?" Watson asked.

I couldn't help picturing a cowboy atop a bull, leaping away from a fiery explosion while yelling 'Yeehaw!' at the top of his lungs.

"Nah partner," He chuckled. "Nothing as hot as that. Ah got control over the air 'round us. Not strong enough to fly, but Ah can lift myself up a couple metres. Hang on, lemme show y'all."

Daniel glowed purple and a gust of wind blew under him. After a moment, he floated up as if he was being pulled along by strings. He made some complicated movements with his hands and his meal ascended with him. He then 'sat' and chewed on the rest of his steak.

It was fairly impressive as far as tricks go.

Watson and I met each other's eyes; both of us knew the implications.

"Say," began Watson. "How long have you been in the dining room anyway?"

"Pretty much since the ride began, partner. Ah've watched these parts for as long as Ah've been sat down."

As he was still floating in the air, Watson and I had to strain our necks to meet his eyes.

"Eh, why?" I asked.

"The regular folks need to know their sheriff is protectin' em. It'll spice up the slow ride."

A thought occurred to me, and I gave the room a quick once-over, looking for other people. "Where are the others anyway? You would think that with a famous person like you here there would be a crowd."

"Ah humbly requested that they let me eat in peace." He shrugged. "Didn't work too well seein' as you're here though, stranger."

"Ahh right. Well I'm Jaune."

"And I'm-"

"Well, if it isn't the fake cowboy." A rich yet condescending voice interrupted Watson. Yato, umbrella by her side, stalked her way in. I didn't even hear her footsteps. "Performing for the crowd again? I'm not surprised that a lowlife like you needs to constantly pander to an audience." She snorted. " Only an unskilled charlatan would need that emotional support."

"Yato." Daniel tipped his hat to the newcomer. "Pleasure seeing ya round these parts. Care for a steak? They're not as good as the ones back home, but they do the job in a pinch."

"I had my fill." Yato replied. "Watching you act like some failure of an actor was driving my mind up a wall. Why don't you cut out the script and speak like a normal human being?"

"Ah'm afraid Ah don't know what ya mean missy and Ah don't particularly care for yer tone. Why don't ya run off and go polish your umbrella or somethin? Ya look like ya might need it with all that sweatin yer doin." He drawled, his accent somehow thickening for a moment.

"Hmph!" Her eyes moved to me.

I instinctively took a step back.

"Don't tell me you seriously believe in this," Yato eyed Daniel. "_Hogwash_?"

"N-no, not at all." I stuttered out. "I mean, I just wanted to ask him about that employee who got shouted at and-"

I heard a crack as loud as lightning and Yato looked positively enraged.

_Oh damn, did I hit a raw nerve? This wasn't how I imagined meeting these Hunters would go!_

"Watson, help me out here!"

She shrugged lightly and I lost all confidence that she would resolve the situation peacefully.

"Yato, you're being stupid." Watson said casually. "Why get angry at Jaune here over something everyone heard?"

The room was silent enough that you could hear a pin drop. For a moment, I thought Yato was going to smash her umbrella into Watson's face.

Or mine.  
_  
Well, it was a good life. 'Jaune Arc, age 16.' I want my tombstone to say 'It was all Watson's fault' but that sounds like I was holding a grudge.  
_  
Luckily for me, the moment passed and Yato's mood cooled into something vaguely resembling calm.

"I apologise. That was unprofessional on my part." The umbrella-wielding Hunter said stiffly.

"Oh no that's fine." I assured her. "Heh, I'm just glad this didn't end in a fight. What was with your reaction? If you don't mind me asking that is." I added after seeing the look on her face. The moment passed and I hope she didn't notice how relieved I was. It would be so uncool to be caught out in the open like that.

"That man," growled Yato. "Is more of Grimm than a person."

That... that was pretty harsh.

Grimm were the eternal enemies of mankind. To compare someone to them meant they must have been the absolute worst type of person there was: demonic, monstrous, and unforgivable.

Or maybe Yato just hates the guy that much."How so?" Watson asked.

She jerked her head towards Watson. "Do you know how many lives have been ruined because of him? How many people suffered because of his scheming? He's a blackmailer and a schemer, smart enough to know how to put the right pressure on someone and clever enough to know when to get what he wants. I shudder to imagine what any child taught by him would be like. At least his son turned out to be an honest, if naïve man." Yato let out a heavy sigh that managed to still sound threatening. "The worst part is, he knows how to hide his trail." She turned to me. "Don't involve yourself with that man."  
_  
Huh. Well, a bit too late now since I'm investigating his death._

"Oh, er Miss Yato," I swallowed nervously. "One last thing and I promise we're done. What might your Semblance be, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Do you know it's considered quite rude to ask Hunters that question? It's a personal skill that reflects the user. I assume that you didn't know but don't-"

"She's got a strength Semblance." Daniel cut in smugly. "Can punch harder than most Dust-powered guns. It's scarier than a wild Grimm when she brings those fists of hers up. Ah wouldn't worry though, Ah'm sure she'll keep her power checked in front of children."

Wow, I did not know you could glare that hard.

Really, it looked like Yato's eyes were going to try and jump out of her skull ."And you're right at home here aren't you, mister faker?" She retorted acidly. "Up in the air with your adoring mindless fans."

"Nah, home is the ranch where Ah grew up. Ah'll have ya know, mah momma made the finest spaghetti in the four Kingdoms." He answered easily, like he was chatting with an old friend.

It didn't look like we were getting anything else out of the two, so Watson and I left while they continued to argue. We talked to a few other passengers and they confirmed Daniel's story.

Once safely in my room where we wouldn't be overheard, Watson began. "So that Daniel guy… He could pull off the locked room trick."

"Possibly, but Daniel said he was in the dining room the entire time. He even had a crowd gathered around him to verify his alibi." I shook my head. "Unless he has a massive range with his air manipulation, he couldn't have committed the crime."

I pulled out my Scroll and searched up his name as I began pacing.

"True." said Watson. "Meanwhile, Yato has the motivation but not the tools to set it up."

I continued to pace some more. "Maybe they worked together? No, their dislike for each other is too genuine. Not to mention Yato herself seems too prideful to ask him to help." I groaned in frustration. "We're missing something. There's got to be some other factor we didn't consider."

The results returned on my Scroll. His profile confirmed he didn't have a large range, only about a cubic metre.

"How about we talk to that employee guy, the captain, or even Officer Benedict? I'm sure they can shed some light on this case." suggested Watson.

I came to a halt, skidding slightly. "That… that is a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

Seriously, that's standard operating procedure: Interview the witnesses, collect evidence, and compile it together. Basic detectiving 101 even! Guess I got so excited with the prospect of talking to famous Hunters that I forgot.  
_  
_"Who cares, what are we waiting for? Let's go find them!" said Watson._  
_

* * *

It turned out that finding the employee was harder than we expected. That tended to happen when you didn't know the name of the guy you were looking for. After searching through the airship for the third time, we finally found someone who knew where his quarters were. I stood awkwardly in the hallway, unsure on how to approach someone who had just lost a family member.  
_  
_Watson didn't seem to have those concerns as she knocked hard on the door.

"Who is it?" Came a muffled voice.

"Hey, it's me!" called Watson. "Just wanted to talk to you."

The door creaked open and the employee's face popped out. Man, he looked like a wreck. His eyes were an angry, blotchy red and his hair was a complete mess. He was still in his uniform, which was looking much scruffier than it had earlier.

"Oh it's just you, Miss." He said dully. "What did you want to talk about?"

"How are you feeling?" Watson asked.

"Tired, exhausted, and every synonym in between, Miss."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Watson said. I knew she meant it as well. Her concerned eyes and subdued movements, she practically radiated grief. "I can't imagine what you're going through but I can tell that you cared dearly for your dad."

"He wasn't the nicest person ever but he was still my dad. He may have shouted a lot and scolded me all the time, but he only did that out of concern for me." He sighed deeply. "I was always a clumsy child, still am, and he yelled at me earlier for dropping his brand new suitcase. I was worried I might have damaged it… I didn't want to be scolded again, but there weren't any scuff marks or dents! I wanted to open it up, to check if the things inside were OK, but Dad didn't even trust me enough to unzip his suitcase. He just called someone on his scroll and told me to try and be less useless in the future. Then this happened… I don't know what I'm going to do, my dad always supported me. Without him, I feel like, like I'm lost in a cave all alone. I don't know where to go or what I'm supposed to do."

She nodded in sympathy. Honestly, she was handling this amazingly well.

_I don't think I'm needed here._

"I just wish my dad spent more time with me just being my dad. No lectures or work, just father and son bonding stuff. He was always busy with one thing or another, or yelling at me for screwing up." He sniffled. "You know, he even took time off to tutor an upcoming journalist on my birthday? Shows how much he cared."

"I'm sure he cared about you. Otherwise he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of raising you." Watson assured the grief-stricken young man.

"I know that, it's just..." He sighed again. "It's just… I don't know. When that officer guy had to push open the door, I knew something terrible happened. I-I panicked and I ran ahead and-" He shuddered. "There was just so much blood and he looked so pale and-"

"Easy there, I know it must have been scary." The normally boisterous blonde said soothingly. "What did Officer Benedict do that set you off?"

The employee gulped. "I don't know, the glowing maybe? He just seemed so strong and I felt so weak compared to him, Miss."

"Yeah, I felt that too." Watson nodded slowly. "That's what happens when you flare your Aura. Though it doesn't actually make you stronger, it tends to frighten people and animals that don't know what Aura is."

"He sure frightened me then, Miss."

They talked some more while I stood off to the side uncomfortably. I didn't know what to say. I was tempted to just leave and let Watson deal with it, but that felt too much like retreating.

After a time, she bade her farewells and the employee, who looked noticeably happier, closed the door. We strode together down the hallway afterwards.

"I have to say, you handled that really well. I'm impressed."

Watson ran a hand through her long blonde hair and hummed. "It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing, but if she didn't see it as a big deal, I wouldn't press the issue. "By the way, what's Aura?" I asked innocently.

Watson gave me a run down on the basics after she finally stopped laughing. It wasn't my fault I didn't know what Aura was! Not like I went to a combat school after all. Anyway, simply put, it's what prevented Hunters from suffering serious wounds during all their fights against the Grimm. As long as you had some Aura, you could stop any bleeding or mend any broken bone. The pain of the attack would still seep through, but you would recover faster thanks to Aura's healing properties.

I should get my Aura activated, it sounds like a really good thing to have in this line of work.

"Just that captain fellow left to find now. You said he was at the main consoles earlier right?" I asked.

Watson nodded. "I think that was at the front of the airship, which should be in the opposite direction of the way we're walking now."

* * *

I never want to explore a ship of this size ever again. It had too many stairs, every hallway looked the same, and I'm sure the designer put in all of those unnecessary dead ends just to make my life harder. Watson must have been used to that level of exercise because she looked like she was going for a casual stroll in the park while I was using every bit of energy I could spare to haul myself down yet another hallway. The rest of my energy was spent on devising ever more elaborate ways to blow up the ship.

It must have been a pitying sight to see. An airsick teen struggling for every step, pulled along by a blonde who hadn't even broken a sweat. I even considered asking Watson for a piggyback ride at one but threw away the thought. No way was I going to embarrass myself like that, not yet anyway. A few more minutes and I would have probably begged on my knees. I made some comment on her inability to get tired, and she responded with a pun hundred times worse than the journey so far.

OK, exaggeration aside, it was still pretty bad.

By the time we arrived, my legs felt like whipped cream in an earthquake. The room itself had carpet as blue as the deep-sea, and it may have been my imagination, but I swore I heard Watson mutter something about me inspecting it. Several banks of complicated machinery were pushed up against the walls, which were ringed with small circular windows, allowing the various workers to view the passing scenery. Some of the workers glanced in my direction when we entered, while one unfortunate worker was being reprimanded for smashing a data disk to pieces. Luckily for him, another worker revealed it was possible to retrieve the data with the right equipment.

I ignored them all, focusing entirely on not wanting to throw up. Thankfully, the urge passed after yet another round of carpet inspection and I raised my head warily. I spotted the captain and Officer Benedict engaged in conversation.

"Jaune!" Spotting me, Benedict waved me over and I plopped down, exhausted, on a nearby seat. "What are you doing here? Didn't I say to go wait in your room?"

"Yeah, you kinda did, but uh I didn't want to wait in the room any longer." I took a deep breath to try and get some air. "And well, I wanted to ask both of you something important."

Officer Benedict eyebrows arched but he didn't comment.

"What do you want to hear about then, my boy!? Mayhap, my grand tales of the sea and sky? Or perhaps," The captain's deep voice took on a conspiratorial note. "You're more interested in a wise man's advice." Honestly, he should be in an opera or something. People would pay good money for a booming voice like his.

Wait, did he just wink and tilt his head toward Watson? Does he think I want…?

"Um, no thanks. I just wanted to hear about your side of the story concerning the, um affair earlier."

The captain shot a sharp glance at me and I withered on the spot. "I'm really not trying to offend anyone and I want to hear what you have to say." I said uncomfortably, trying not to fidget.

Thankfully Watson, faithful partner she was, saved me from yet another awkward conversation.

"His dream is to be the best detective there is!" she said with a smile. "That's why he needs the practice now, so he doesn't fumble a huge case later. You can't just abandon him right? It's the captain's job to take care of his passengers!" Watson finished enthusiastically.

Disregarding the fact that my dream wasn't to be the very best detective(like no one ever was), it seemed she swayed him enough to at least to consider it.

"Who am I to say no to a young man's dream?! Very well youngster, I shall impart my vast knowledge to further your goals. What would you like to hear?"

_Huh. Well that was easy. Right, what to ask first?_

"Can you tell us what you saw at the crime scene?"

"The good officer swung open the door with a mighty heave. It was a bloody scene right out of a horror film! An iron stench crept up my nose, and the room was colder than the freezer we have on board. The victim lay on the ground, motionless; his head wound open for the entire world to see." The captain said dramatically, losing himself in the recollection.

"I see. How many keycards can open the door?"

"Just two. My master keycard which can open all locked doors," he patted his inside jacket pocket, presumably where said keycard was. "And the one that the victim would have received when he boarded the airship."

"I don't suppose the security lock could have been hacked?" I wasn't exactly an expert when it came to electronics, but I was sure programs could be rewritten by someone who was.

"Hacked!" He brought himself to his full height, which was still a lot smaller than me. "I'll have you know this ship has unbreakable security. You couldn't break the locks open even if you had Polarity as your Semblance." He harrumphed; seemingly offended I even suggested the possibility.

I was pretty sure he was exaggerating but I got the point he was trying to get across. Couldn't break the door open through hacking or brute force it seemed.

"Is there anything special about the room?" I asked, trying a different tack. "Maybe a hidden entrance?"

"Hohoho!" His booming laughter caught everyone off guard. "A secret entrance? You've been reading too many stories, my boy! It's just an ordinary room; you can't even open the windows. And if it did have a secret entrance, we certainly wouldn't be assigning them to passengers."

He had a point and I dismissed the theory.

_Maybe there's a teleportation or invisibility Semblance somewhere. I should ask Watson about that.  
_  
"What do you know about the victim?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I know he used some of his influence to get that employee, the one who was with us, a job here but apart from that, nothing comes to mind." He brought his head up and scratched his chin. "I did hear the employee mention him a few times. He often praised his father for everything. I guess the boy looked up to the man."

I agreed since I got that impression of him when Watson comforted him. "Can you tell me, in as much detail as you can, what you were doing before the discovery of the body?"

"I woke up to a delicious morning breakfast. The first rays of sunlight were quite heavenly as they came in through my window and I felt my energy rejuvenate as the-"

He went on and on, in great detail, about his entire morning. I wanted to say I knew that was coming, and in a way I did, but to actually ramble on that long, about a plate of scrambled eggs? I mean, for a solid five minutes? That was all kinds of impressive.

But we had a mystery to solve, and Bhurji be damned, we were going to solve it!

"Um, ok, changed my mind." I said, interrupting him. "Please tell me what happened in a concise and condensed manner."

"Very well." The captain said ruefully. "I woke up and headed to the airport for my daily duties. I boarded the airship with my crew and we carried out our standard protocols before departing. Once in the air, I made sure the airship was running smoothly and decided to have a meal cooked by our impressive chef. I walked with some crew members until I reached the table. There I met up with Officer Benedict. After a relaxing meal, the employee came over and we found the unfortunate scene."

"That should be enough, right Jaune?" said Officer Benedict. "The captain is a very busy man."

"Yeah, that's fine. Did I interrupt anything?" There were some more questions I would've liked to ask, but he'd told me more than enough at the moment.

"Nothing in particular." replied Officer Benedict. "We've been talking the entire time, didn't leave the room at all."

"That's right my boy. Officer Benedict here was just listening to my grand story of my journey to the west. While very long, it is a thrilling tale only rivalled by my epics of underground exploration."

"That's all you've talked about?" That must be one seriously lengthy tale; it had been about 45 minutes since he left.

The captain nodded and I shrugged.

Whatever lets them pass the time I guess.

"Hey Officer Benedict, do you have a Semblance?" I asked.

"Hm." He grunted. "Before I answer, can I ask what brought the question on?"

"Watson mentioned them in passing and I thought you might have one."

He shook his head. "I don't have one or more accurately, I haven't discovered it yet. You can go through your whole life and not figure out your Semblance."

"Ah." I commented, not knowing what that must've felt like. "OK then. See you later."

I moved to leave and Watson followed. She tripped over a nearby seat and landed heavily onto the captain. Fortunately, he caught her easily.

"Be careful, little girl. You need to watch your steps."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." she replied sheepishly.

* * *

"Teleportation Semblance?" said Watson. We were back in the maze-like hallways so I took the opportunity to ask her some questions.

"Or something to hide yourself with, like invisibility." From what I could gather about Semblances, they were pretty versatile.

She had her head tilted to the side, mulling the question over in her head. "Teleporting does exist but it's really rare. You would have trouble finding someone with it even if you looked through history books. I never heard of someone with invisibility as their Semblance, but I have heard of ones with illusions."

"So we're not gonna have to deal with a teleporting killer?" I imagined a woman in a mask popping in and out of view, murder weapon in hand.

"Yup, and illusions are pretty rare as well."

So that was good. Jeez, that would've been a nightmare to deal with. I must have let something show on my face because Watson bumped my shoulder with hers.

"Relax Jaune, we're not dealing with something like that. Airport security is there for a reason."

"Yeah you're right." I answered absently.

We walked a few more steps before I heard Watson's teasing voice. "Hey, check your pockets. You might find the key to this case in it."

Frowning at her, I reached deep into my pocket and felt a something angular and plastic inside. I took it out, doing a double take before I stared at Watson.

"This is a master-key card." I said, slightly disbelieving.

"That is the master-key card." she replied smugly.

"You stole it from the captain and put it in my pocket." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "That trip was just an excuse to get close to the captain."

"Got it in one. Now we can investigate the crime scene to our hearts content!" A girl shouldn't sound that happy over robbing someone.

"We can't do that! We're breaking the law!" I protested.

"Some rules have to be bent to find the truth. Now come on, the room is this way." She snatched the card out of my hands and dashed ahead of me.

"H-hey wait!" I chased after to her but in a contest of physical feats between me and her? The winner is obvious. "Glurgh, huh, huh."

Oh air, how I dearly missed you.

"Wow you're really weak. You need to shape up." She looked pityingly over my downed form.

"S-shut up." I stammered back.

"Welp, I'm going in first then."

"W-wait, tie your hair back and cover it. You don't want to leave traces."

"Sure sure." She pulled out a hair band and very carefully went about making a ponytail. I pulled up my hood and wore some gloves I brought along.

"This OK?" Surprisingly, she looked better with the ponytail. It somehow made her look more sophisticated yet her smile gave a hint of playfulness.

"Uh, yeah that's fine." I fought back a blush. "Er, hang on before we go further, I should take some photos. You know in case we missed something."

I took out my scroll and entered the room while holding it eye level. Minutes passed as I took pictures. I called Watson in after I was done.

It was rather unpleasant in the room. Probably because there was a dead body in it, but it might've been the clashing drapes.

"Don't touch anything." I said. Not that there was much to touch. Apart from the body and suitcase there was nothing else in the room that might have been owned by the victim. Watson gave me a thumbs up and went off to the body.

"This is...really horrible." she said as she curled her lips. "Who would do this?"

"I don't know but I'll find out." Remembering my training, I went about carefully examining the body. I held my stomach in tightly; it wouldn't do to throw up on the deceased. There was a small device in his outer pocket that had nearly been smashed beyond recognition. It looked like it'd been run through an industrial meat grinder before it was scooped up and placed back into the guy's pocket.

"I think this might be a scroll." I said as I sifted through the pieces. It was hard to discern, but I definitely recognised the orange diamond that was found on all scrolls. Watson looked over my shoulder and made a sound of agreement.

I'd heard that you could determine the time of death by examining how far rigor mortis had set in, but I didn't really have the experience (or stomach) necessary to do that. I decided to look for other clues instead. I could only spot the one wound on his head, which was likely the one that did him in. It looked like blunt force trauma coupled with deep lacerations. Then I searched through his clothing, finding his card key in the inner pocket of his jacket.

On a hunch, I pulled open his mouth. "Huh? I can see something small hidden under his tongue." I took a few pictures before reaching in to pull it out. "It's a memory stick?"

Looks like he hid something before he was sent to the afterlife.

"Let's load it up!" said Watson. Once I loaded it into my scroll, I checked the memory stick's contents. Dozens of threats were written down; some had famous names alongside them, and one in particular I quickly recognised.

"This, this is…" I announced. "He blackmailed the owner of the Schnee Dust Company!"

"Looks like Yato was right." Watson said as if the name left a bad taste in her mouth. "He really was an unforgivable bastard."

I shook my head. That employee was going to be shocked when he found out. "We can take a closer look later. We still need to investigate the rest of the room."

The suitcase was still lying where it was when I originally saw it. It was big enough that I could fit myself inside, and it was one of those with a basic design that opened via zipper. Its noteworthy feature was the Schnee Dust Company logo on the side. There were scratch marks around the zipper area, almost as if someone tried to claw it open.

"There's no blood on it. There goes your theory of the dropping suitcase." I said.

"Meh." Watson shrugged. "It was an on the spur idea."

I reached down, tugging the zipper. It didn't open. "Huh? It's stuck."

"Here, let me try." Watson bent down and pulled with a considerable force.

No result.

"How do you get this thing open?" said Watson. "Is there a lock or a catch?"

We inspected the suitcase for a few minutes but couldn't find a mechanism to open it.

"When in doubt, just ask someone for the answer." I pulled out my scroll, looking for the SDC number.

"Uh, Jaune the guy who knows is dead and his son said you need to zip it open." She pointed out.

"So let's actually check with the company in question." I found the number and dialled, the line ringing a few times before a woman answered.

"Hello, this is the Schnee Dust Company, Lilly speaking." A pleasant female voice answered. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Yes," I said in my best mature voice. "I'm interested in purchasing a suitcase that seemed to give another customer a hard time. It had a rather basic design, but it seemed that he couldn't get it to open. I still wish to purchase the suitcase, so I was wondering if it a function he didn't understand or if it was just an unlucky defect."

"Can you please explain that in more detail?" Lilly asked politely.

I gave her a run down on the suitcase.

There was a pause as I listened to her type. "Ah yes! I believe you are referring to one of our custom-made suitcases. It's a one of a kind, designed specifically per the customer's request. It has various security features to ensure the safety of its contents."

"Oh really?" I said, leaking some intrigue into my voice. "And what security measures would those be?"

"It uses the latest fingerprinting technology to ensure no one but the owner can open it." She said matter-of-factly. "The one you referred to in particular has zippers on it to mislead would-be thieves from discovering its true method of unlocking."

"That's very impressive! Just a final question, I called earlier on a different scroll to enquire about the suitcase, but I was cut off. I was wondering if you could look into that."

"Very well, when was your call?"

"It was today, between two o'clock and now. I don't remember the exact time unfortunately." I said apologetically.

I heard some more typing. "Yes we have a record of the call." More typing. "I'm sorry to say but it's against company policy to reveal information on other calls, even if they claim they are the same person."

"I see." I paused. "Is there any other way to look into this?"

"You would have to come in person to ask about it."

"Well, thank you so much for the help."

"My pleasure." Lilly said and I ended the call.

"What was that about?" asked Watson.

"That was me digging for some information. If you show that you're interested in buying something, the employees will be more likely to help you out. Anyway I got the information to open it. It needs the owner's fingerprint so we need to move the suitcase to him."

We placed the suitcase near him and I adjusted the victim's hand on what I guessed would be the scanner. Luckily his fingers weren't bloodied too badly and after a moment the suitcase clicked open.

Time to see what's inside.

"Huh, that's disappointing." said Watson.

The suitcase was empty.

"Hmm, Watson I'm going to test something. Pass the keycard over."

"You're not going to rat me out are you?" She asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Not now, no." I said as I stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Maybe later.

"It's ready." Her voice was muffled by the door.

"OK, I'm coming in now."

I unlocked the door with the keycard and pushed hard on the doorknob. It easily swung open, and to the side, the suitcase had been pushed over.

"No problems?" she asked.

"No problems. Let's set everything back. We pretty much covered everything."

After some rearrangement, we left the room. My thoughts ran abuzz with the information, meaning that I wasn't paying that much attention and I tripped over myself. I landed heavily and pain shot up my leg from landing on the scroll in my pocket.

"Hey, you alright?" She bent down to pick me up. "Maybe you should've listened to the captain's advice."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." I waved her off. I checked over the scroll, which appeared undamaged. It even displayed my ID and the time. It was 3:20. "Hey Watson, can I borrow your scroll?"

She handed me her scroll. This time, I dialled one of the numbers that was on the blackmail list. Two rings later and a man with a rough voice spoke up.

"Who is this?" the voice asked.

"Is this Mr Schnee, owner of the Schnee Dust Company?"

"Speaking."

_Right, how to ask a man if he's being blackmailed… Screw it, I'll ask directly. _

"Are you being blackmailed?"

The voice on the other side remained quiet

"I found some evidence of you being blackmailed." I continued. "I can help you. What do you say?"

For a moment I thought that he would hang up. The thought passed when I heard his quiet response. "...yes. I'm being blackmailed."

That confirms it.

"I'll contact you later then on the subject. Don't worry I'm on your side." I ended the call and tossed the scroll back to Watson. "This guy's claws run deeply." I said with a grimace.

"What now then?" Watson seemed troubled by the whole situation.

Hm, what now indeed.

"Any thoughts on the case?" I asked.

"Not really." she said, letting her hair back down. "I thought it would have been more exciting investigating, but I guess it's just a lot of legwork."

"That's just how it is. The television shows makes it much more exciting." It reminded me of the guy who went over my training. He went into great detail about how the media usually glamorises the process. It was disappointing, but I accepted it.

"Don't they always?" She shrugged. "Anything left to do?"

"Well first, here's the keycard back. I don't want to be caught holding this thing." Seriously, this girl is trouble. "Anyway, can you contact everyone involved and send them to my room in fifteen minutes?"

"Sure, no prob."

"Oh and one last thing…" I told her the remaining bit she needed to know, and she ran off to collect everyone.

It was time to reveal the murderer.

* * *

**AN: Actual methods on how the forensic team collects evidence is a slow process so I sped it up a bit in this story. Since I actually know the plot I might be biased in saying it's possible to figure out what the truth is. I think I left enough clues to figure it out yourself. What do you think happened? Oh forgot to mention that Benedict was picked as his name because the BBC Sherlock has Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead role. **Thanks goes to BozarBoy for beta reading, you rock.****


	6. First case III

**Chapter 6**

It was finally time.

The killer is going to be exposed today, and I'm going to be the one who reveals the culprit.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. It feels like I have a stone in my throat, and my stomach decided to go skydiving. I'm pretty sure I know who killer is but there's always that niggling doubt, like an itch at the back of your throat, that I'm falsely about to send an innocent person to jail. Oh man, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I actually did that.

I heard three knocks and I opened the door to let the crowd in.

Officer Benedict, Yato, Watson, the employee, the captain and Daniel all gathered into my room. I stood in the middle of the newly formed circle.

"Well boy?" began Yato. "Why did you summon us all here?"

Everyone but Watson murmured their agreement.

OK, Jaune, calm down you got this.

OK I haven't got this, my throat's locked up tighter than a vault. I can't stop the quivering in my hands. My heart pounding so hard it feels like it's climbing its way out of my ribs. C'mon Jaune, confidence is needed here.

Except.

I was never much of a confident guy. Oh sure, I could display it well enough in a fight or imitate it to impress a girl but in front of a crowd like this? With actual consequences? I would sooner run at a Ursa than give a speech.

But here I am and they all were looking at me expectantly.

...

I-I can't do it. The me now isn't cut out for this kind of bravado. I know I said before that I imagined myself in a situation like this but this is reality, everything is at stake. I can't afford to mess up or the killer will escape and who knows what other crimes that will lead to. This is the kind of pressure that could affect multiple lives.

What am I saying? I'm not letting the killer escape. If the me now can't do it then I'll just have to rely on something else. So what counts as confidence in a detective? Well in stories, the detective always spoke with a refined accent. That automatically slatted them into a confident character. Yato mentioned a fake character as a front for Daniel. I could do that, fake it until I make it. I'll sound more believable and I could hide my nerves behind my mask of confidence.

"I'm glad everyone could make it." I said as I clasped my hands. "I have some dire news to say regarding the death of that employee's father."

They looked at me funnily, probably thrown off by my polite accent.

"Jaune!" shouted officer Benedict. "What did I say earlier?"

I winced inwards. Officer Benedict has got a powerful set of lungs.

Not as good as dad's though.

"I heard what you said before but I ignored it because I know who killed him."

"Killed him? He died in an accident Jaune. The room was locked and had the heavy suitcase in front of the door. Only someone from the inside could do that. There are no gaps below the door so you can't pull off any fancy tricks. How would a crime even take place?"

"First off it's not impossible for someone with the right semblance. Daniel over there for example has the skills necessary to set the crime in motion."

"You suggesting something partner?" said Daniel as he shifted his arm behind his poncho.

I never thought I would be afraid of someone wearing a ridiculous get up but here I am.

"You are merely an example." I said, placating him.

"Then Jaune," Officer Benedict looked inpatient. His exasperated tone rang across my room. "Who or what are you talking about?"

I nodded. "I will explain that shortly."

Hand on my chin, I began pacing from one side to another.

"Someone here is responsible for the death of the employee's father. This person facilitated an elaborate plan to ensure they did not get suspected. I was fooled at first, I never suspected this person until I put together the dots. And now we have come full circle to find out the truth of the matter."

I spun around fast enough to whip my hair to one side. My hand rose and I pointed dramatically towards the culprit.

"And that person is you!"

The culprit eyes widened, everyone else turned towards the person I had accused of murder.

"This better be a joke," she said.

"I assure you Watson that this is no joke."

The blonde girl, who I had accused, lifted her head up, regarding me smaller than a bug.

I froze for just a moment. I didn't have time to ponder on my feelings now, it's sink or swim from here.

"So you think I did it? That I murdered him? Heh," A nasty smirk overcame her face, "I would like to see you try and explain it."

I nodded shortly. It all comes down to this.

"There are a few main points to address, but to summarise what happened," I paused making sure everyone was listening, "this so called accident is actually a murder committed by Watson; the locked room aspect is entirely made out of pure chance."

The employee blinked at that. I guess it's convoluted to say it that way but it gets the point across.

"A murder was thought to be impossible because of the presence of the suitcase, but that is just part of the scheme. In reality, the murderer did not in fact leave the room at all. When we barged in, Watson was still in the room."

"What do you mean?" asked Yato.

"It's simple. If you remember at the time, officer Benedict couldn't get the door open. This was because the suitcase was blocking the door, however when I went to inspect it later, it was empty."

"Jaune!" yelled officer Benedict. "You broke into a crime scene! Just what the hell were you thinking!?"

"I investigated like a proper detective would. I made sure to keep any traces I had left to a minimum to avoid contamination."

He scowled."You still entered, despite me explicitly saying not to do so."

"I'm sorry. I will accept my punishment after, and only after I finish this."

Officer Benedict glowered at me but stayed silent.

"Continuing on, the question then becomes. How did an empty suitcase block a strong man from opening the door. The answer is elementary. It wasn't empty at the time of the crime. Rather the contents got out themselves. Watson was hiding inside when we all gathered at the door.

Watson snorted. "So you think I could bend my body into a tight enclosed space? Sorry but I'm not as flexible as you might imagine."

I shook my head. "There was no need for any exaggerated stretches. Anyone could fit in if they curled themselves. Most of us saw the suitcase, I think we can all agree she would fit inside."

There was a murmur of agreements from the employee and the captain. The employee frowned. He looked like he was appraising Watson in a new light and not in a good way.

"OK, fine I'll give you that but what about the rest? Do you think I could just waltz in and the knock the guy dead? In case you didn't know I don't have a card key to enter his room."

"What you did to enter is simple." I shrugged. "You knocked on his door and he opened it for you. It was a matter of overpowering him when you had the opportunity. Between a hunter in training and a civilian man getting on in his years, I know who I would bet on. As for the suitcase, you positioned it directly on the door then hid inside to make it seem like the victim died in an accident. After all, it's impossible to murder someone in a locked room."

She simmered in silence, jaw grinding and hands gripped into a fist. Officer Benedict looked absolutely terrible, his eyes darted between us and his heavy breathing filled the silent room.

"When would I have the opportunity to kill him? Anyway could walk in the hallway. I could've been caught at any time."

"Actually it was very possible for you to have the opportunity to murder him. You departed during our meal. The majority of people would be focused on eating and wouldn't pay attention to some stranger. On top of that there was even a famous hunter aboard. It was as if the perfect distraction presented itself."

Watson was quiet. I proceeded with my explanation.

"When we inspected the suitcase, we noticed that it had been scratched as if someone was desperate to unlock it. We know it's brand new from what the employee over there said so why would it be damaged so soon?" The employee in question jumped a little at getting referenced. "It's because after you killed him you heard us approach. You couldn't leave the room or you would be immediately suspected. So you had to hide. But where? The room itself does not have any places where you could conceal yourself; you couldn't even fit under the bed. No instead you jumped into the one place where you might stand a chance of hiding. Inside the suitcase. Then after we left the hallway you quickly escaped and found me. You don't need a card key to open the door from the inside."

"If you follow that logic then anyone else could had done it. Why are you picking me? Because I'm an easy target? Because you need some sacrificial lamb to make yourself look good? Or are you just the sort of guy to pick on women?" She sneered at me.

"No Watson, it could had been only you." I replied, faintly sadly. "We talked to every passenger on board and all of them have an alibi during the time period when we were eating."

"They could had been lying! They might had accomplices covering them. Some might even have semblances that could do all this! We might had missed someone!" She was hysterical now. "Why would I even kill him!? I don't know the guy!"

"No you know him." I said slowly. "Remember that blackmail list we found, with a list of names?"

"Yes I remember."

"It had your name on it."

"I haven't even told you my name!" she barked.

"You haven't told me, but your scroll did. I borrowed it earlier didn't I? All scrolls contain id, which includes the name. That's common sense Yang Xiao Long."

She looked like I threw water at her face.

"No no no, you're wrong." She hugged herself tightly. "Everything you said is wrong!"

Officer Benedict looked positively fuming now. He was about one step away from taking action.

"There's one sure fire way to prove you're not the murderer." I said.

"...what is it?" she replied. Her tone was as tense as a tightly wound string.

"If we send the suitcase over to analysis and see if there are any traces of you inside then we know what transpired."

"No. No! That's not fair," she swung her head side to side. "We opened the case together. I could had left traces then."

"It's up to the forensic team to decide that." I said, my face stoic.

"No, I'm not the murderer. Please, I'm telling the truth. Believe me!" Her eyes watered and she wobbled on her legs.

She truly looked pitiful.

Officer Benedict let out a deep vicious growl that could rival Grimm. "You're wrong Jaune! Your little theory might work if it wasn't for the fact that the suitcase in question is impossible to open without the victim himself."

I frowned worriedly. "Explain."

He grunted deeply. "Those zips aren't actually zips, they're there as a decoy. You don't zip it open like a regular suitcase, it needs to scan your fingerprints to open it. How would she get out when she would be locked inside? You can't. It's impossible, and you can't even pretend to close it. It automatically locks itself when the two openings are near. It might be possible if she had an accomplice but you said it yourself. Everyone had an alibi then so no one could had helped her."

And just like that my argument foundations blew apart. Officer Benedict was completely right. Watson had absolutely no idea how to even open the suitcase, and she wouldn't know how to beforehand since it was a custom made. Today marked its first use and it had no obvious tell to show that it was something more. Oh sure, she could had forced the employee's dad to unlock it or it might had been already opened, but then how would she get out after it closed. It requires fingerprints to open the suitcase. It's just that advanced. On top of that you can't pretend to close it, after a certain distance it's magnets will activate forcing it shut. You wouldn't even be able to jam the mechanism because it has a filtering system.

With all this Watson couldn't be the culprit. Too many ifs, too many risks and too many flaws.

I smirked at officer Benedict.

Just as planned.

"Why do you know that officer? At first glance, it looks like a perfectly ordinary suitcase, so how could you tell it had those security features. No one on this airship except Watson and I should know those details. Not even the victim's son know the security measures on it. He just thought it was regular luggage."

Officer Benedict eyes widened and he took a step back. Realising the defensive nature of his actions, he brought himself back to his normal form. "I once looked into suitcases as well. I saw something similar a while back."

"Not possible." said Watson. "We called the company earlier, it's a one of a kind suitcase. No others exist designed like that."

Gone with the quivering girl. In with a cocky faced woman. Man, it was freaking me out how well she acted.

"You, you," stuttered officer Benedict. "This whole thing was an act all along?"

Watson nodded with a foxy grin. "We thought we'll play a little drama to see whether you were involved or not. All guys can't help but save the damsel in distress after all. Now," a smug smile graced her face. I didn't realise how much I missed it until it now, "you couldn't have found out after the murder, you were talking with the captain the entire time. He mentioned nothing of the sort in your conversation. So why don't you spill the beans and admit it?"

The captain nodded. "Yes, us old folks never did have a conversation on the topic. You never left the premise or brought out your scroll as well." A beat. "Little girl, return my card key. It's very valuable to me."

"Oh right sorry." Watson replied, slightly embarrassed.

After returning the card key to its proper owner, officer Benedict spoke.

"You can't expect me to remember everything. Do you remember when, where and who taught you what a rose is? I might had seen something similar beforehand. I can't remember the reason why I know, just that I'm right. This revelation doesn't mean anything."

"There's another explanation as to why you know." I said.

Right, no turning back from here. I focused back on officer Benedict. He stared at me intently. A gleam I had never seen before was in his eyes. Something predatory, dangerous and it unnerved me to stare at it a second longer.

But I'm not going to back down. Not now when I have the truth in my grasp. Not until this case is resolved.

"Officer Benedict, You are the murderer."

The room was dead silent.

"What did you say?" Officer Benedict didn't sound angry or confused. Rather he sounded like I shot his pet dog.

Damn don't make this harder for me please. I don't want to twist the knife in the wound.

"He blackmailed you didn't he?" I said. "He contacted you and threatened you with information you didn't want public. With no choice in the matter, you met up with him after I headed to my room, and found him to be the most atrocious human being in existence." I paused, recalling what conversation with Yato.

"Yato said before that he is a person better dead. I believe you agree that the world will benefit if he's living among the dead. After you struck him with your aura enhanced blow, you attempted looking for this evidence of blackmail and found nothing while searching his room. The only place you hadn't looked yet is in his suitcase. It had a design completely unfamiliar to you, and while attempting to open it you scratched the suitcase. Unsure, you used the victim's scroll to contact the company like we did and found out how to unlock the mechanism. You couldn't let the call log remain on his scroll; it would lead to more questions that you don't want asked. So you did what you thought best and smashed the scroll into tiny pieces, and placed it in his pocket to make it look as if it was part of the accident."

"That's all very well and good Jaune but all that is conjecture. First off, can you even prove he was a blackmailer. Sure you just claimed earlier that that girl was on his blackmail list but that was just a little play. I want to see real evidence of it. If you can't prove that then your argument's basis crumbles. Next, you don't have any proof to pin the crime on me, and you still haven't disproved whether it was an accident or not. After all the suitcase was still up against the door, no amount of trickery will let escape a locked room like that."

I shook my head. "It wasn't an accident. His scroll was completely destroyed. They don't break like that with a single fall. You might scratch or crack it but never could you damage it that way. Scrolls are built tougher than that, after all I fell with my full weight on my own scroll, and it functioned as normal. The victim is a small man, smaller than me, so it's unlikely he would be able to smash it into pieces like that. The employee can even confirm that it was in working condition before the incident so you can't even say it was broken beforehand."

"Yeah, that's right sir." said the employee, nodding his head quickly. "It was working just fine earlier. My father likes things to be in good condition so if it was damaged he would replace it."

"The suitcase? Lies, it was never positioned in front of the door. It just seemed that way because of that act you pulled when you barged in."

I felt the memory stick still in my pocket.

"As for the blackmailer's evidence. We found it."

"What?" His flat, confused voice rang through the room.

"A memory stick was hidden inside his mouth. We looked at its contents and I'm sure you can guess what's was written."

"That may be," officer Benedict conceded with a sigh, "but again, you still don't have any actual direct evidence to prove your ridiculous claim. Even your circumstantial evidence is flimsy at _best_."

"You're right," I said. "I don't have proof."

"See! This sill-"

"I said **I **don't have proof, because someone else has it."

"Who?" he asked, frowning.

"When we uncovered the suitcase, it was empty. It's safe to say that he wouldn't bring an empty suitcase, so something was taken from it; it's contents wasn't found in the room after all. Now what would a man, who is known for blackmail, keep in his expensive high security suitcase?" No one answered. "The answer is obvious. He would keep his all important blackmail material inside, safe from any prying eyes."

"Get to the point Jaune." said officer Benedict while tapping his foot to the ground.

"I'm saying the culprit took the blackmail with them. Right now, you are holding it. You probably haven't had a chance to get rid of it yet, you can't throw it out the window since they're locked for safety reasons, and you wouldn't flush it down the toilet since someone might discover it. You couldn't even hide it in our room since I was there. No, you thought it was best to keep it on your personage and in your own privacy destroy it. After all, who would suspect an officer of a crime when at first glance seems like an accident? Officer Benedict, will you submit to a full body search?"

Officer Benedict clenched his fists. "You're right Jaune. I do have some disks that can be interpreted as blackmail but it has nothing to do with this case."

"Then do you mind if you present it for analysis? Or show us what's written? If it has the victims fingerprints then that's clear cut proof that you were involved."

"Not exactly. He might had had an opportunity to touch it. I did leave it out accidentally for a minute or two while he was nearby. So, if there is fingerprints that happen to be his, then it's a coincidence. As for the content of the disk, I'm writing up a story for a crime novel and these are my notes. They just happen to feature blackmail, if they happen to coincide with real people," he shrugged, "freakier things have happened."

There's no way you're not slipping away with that. Too bad officer, but I'm going to prove your guilt.

"There's one more piece. The call to the Schnee Dust company is recorded. If we use a voice print analysis, we'll know it was you who made the call. If it matches, then the police will launch a full investigation. They'll be able to find when the call occurred, the scroll that called and what you said in the conversation. If the number on record matches with the victim's number then it's undeniable proof you were the one."

To be honest this was a gamble. I wasn't completely sure officer Benedict really did call the Schnee company, but the fact remains the suitcase doesn't have any bloody fingerprints. It was either opened while he was still alive or the blood on his fingers dried out then was used to open the suitcase. Since I'm betting on the latter, officer Benedict probably spent some time uselessly attempting to open the suitcase. Giving up, he called the Schnee company in hopes of finding a way.

A tense moment passed.

He froze before slumping. It looked like all energy was drained from him. "When did grow up to be so smart Jaune?"

"So you're admitting it? That you murdered him?" I kept my tone flat and neutral.

Officer Benedict straightened his back. "Yes. I murdered him and I don't regret my decision. I have to ask, when did you suspect me?"

"When I discovered that you didn't need to flare your aura to strengthen yourself." I replied. "Watson was kind enough to enlighten me on that fact." I gave a thankful nod to her. "I thought it felt a bit out of place when you opened the door like that, but I tried justifying it by thinking you were warning the occupants. Then I discovered the suitcase was empty. I tested whether I could open the door with the suitcase and I found no issues in doing so. My mind ran a mile a minute. Did the contents escape? Was it empty all along? Only the victim could open it and he's obviously dead. No one else entered the room. There were only two keys after all. One being on the victim while the other was with the captain."

"Until you kids stole it from me." grunted the captain.

"I like to think we borrowed it." chirped Watson. "And hey it led us to the murderer right? So can you forgive us please?"

"Hmph, we'll talk about it later."

"As I was saying, the captain had an alibi the entire time so he couldn't have moved the contents. Thus I had to conclude it was empty when we barged in. Thus if it was empty and I found no trouble in pushing the suitcase then why did you have made a large effort in doing so? The answer I came to was that you faked it. I didn't want to consider the possibility that you were the culprit. I hoped maybe it was because you didn't put any strength but I had to dig deeper. That's why I staged this scenario with Watson. If you were truly guilty then you wouldn't let someone you knew who was innocent get pinned for the crime. You're still a man who will help those in need. This whole charade was designed for a person like you."

"..."

"And I suppose," letting the facade drop, I couldn't help but leak some hurt into my voice, "somewhere inside of me I didn't want to believe you were a murderer. That I misread the evidence. I thought to myself, the very moment I force you to reveal the blackmail I would know that you were the culprit. This whole drama I set up just confirmed whether I should press you for the evidence."

Officer Benedict nodded slowly. "Very well, I assume you brought these hunters to restrain me?"

"That's correct. Yato if you please?"

"Don't order me boy." Despite her words she strode over to officer Benedict and tied his hands with some string she had pulled out.

* * *

Watson and I gathered in the main deck. I didn't want to stay in my room any longer.

All it did was remind me of officer Benedict's betrayal.

Patch came into view. It was a beautiful island dotted with patches of forests. Clear maintained roads could be seen even from my height. Small towns that looked more like farms bordered the sea and various docks had been built to support large airships.

Of course I couldn't really appreciate the view since the floor suddenly looked very interesting.

"Inspecting the floor again?" Watson was smirking. I knew it was pride that stopped me from outright admitting it when we first met but now after all this?

I can trust her.

"No, I'm actually pretty airsick right now. I don't normally ride airships so I'm not really used to it."

Rather than mock me as I first expected. She gave me a kind smile that I had a feeling was only reserved for people she dearly cares about.

"Chin up Jaune! We're almost there! You ever heard the saying: You need to eat poison to build up an immunity? You're not going to feel better just standing there. Look off towards the horizon, it's a stunning view."

With no small effort, I dragged myself to my feet and looked out the window. I was greeted with a bright orange sunset. It's warm glow illuminated the calm waves like a blanket. Various ships floated about doing their various tasks. From this height, people looked as small as ants. Together they were working to move a large cargo.

I couldn't help but let out a gentle smile. Despite most of the world being overrun with Grimm, there were still pockets of land where people can safely live out their lives.

Watson and I departed the airship with little fanfare. She went off to fetch her luggage and I volunteered to help. She turned me down on the basis that I'm not macho enough to handle her luggage. I like to point out that I'm plenty macho, it was just circumstances forced me to hide them.

Officer Benedict was restrained by Yato and for all his muscles, Officer Benedict couldn't overpower a seasoned huntress.

Especially a huntress like Yato.

"Hey Jaune," he called.

I ambled my way over to him. I wasn't sure how to feel about him. Ever since my youth, I always admired him, holding him of the highest regard to human kindness and now?

Now he was a murderer.

"I'm truly sorry it to turned out this way. I just want you to know that every other actions of my past I've done out of the goodness of my heart. You remember those people we helped on our way to the airport? I did mean those and I did mean to help society." He paused looking me straight in the eyes. Even now I could still see the kindness within them. "But I don't regret taking that man's life. His entire existence is like a leech. He does nothing but suck away everything around him leaving empty carcasses behind. Tell your dad, I'm sorry for involving you in this. Your father is going to absolutely kill me for this whole affair but I want him to know that I never intended any harm to anyone else."

"He was a horrible man but you don't take the law into your own hands officer," commented Yato. "If everyone did that then we'd be left with chaos. Order exists because we need them to have a functioning society." Her eyes turned sharply to me. "That goes for you as well. Breaking into crime scenes isn't a habit I hope to see."

He shook his head at that.

"What were you going to do with the disk?" I asked.

"I was going to go over them and arrest to ones which committed a crime. Some of them were bound to have illegal activities listed."

I sighed. He's always working for the future.

"I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me Jaune. That man's allies still exists out there so be careful of them."

Warning delivered, he was pulled away to the local policemen that stationed the docks.

"All well that ends well, eh partner." Daniel stood nearby, hands in pockets.

"This doesn't really feel like an end."

"Feels more like a beginning doesn't it."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's like the eye of a storm. It's just going to get worse."

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll see if fate has anything in store for you." After a pause he spoke again. "Hey, there's something I gotta confess. You know how you asked me to record your little deduction? You know for evidence."

"Yes?" Why do I suddenly feel like I made a terrible mistake.

"Well, I uploaded it online and now people are raving about you. Here, I'll read some of the comments. They're pretty funny."

"So you're saying people think I speak with a polite accent that goes around solving mysteries."

"Ayup, I suggest keeping the persona. It'll bring in more clients, if you're starting a detective agency that is."

A detective agency huh? Might be an option to consider since I didn't get into any combat schools. After this incident, I don't think I could work for the police so soon. Maybe later when the pain of officer Benedict's betrayal wears off, I would be able to collaborate with them, but now the detective agency sounds more thrilling. I'll definitely need a partner. Today Watson was an absolutely key to finding the truth. Maybe I'll put up an advertisement.

My musings ended when I spotted Watson wheeling her suitcase. I jogged over to her, and I couldn't help but grin.

"All sorted?" she asked.

"Yeah, I haven't got any luggage to carry so all I need are the clothes on my back."

She smirked cheekily. "And that smart brain of yours. Others wouldn't know it by looking at you but you're actually quite clever. Rubbish at socialising though."

"Hey!"

Watson laughed at my indignant tone.

Well, it's true I guess. Without Watson's help, a lot of information wouldn't had come to light.

Speaking of hunters.

"Hey Watson. Do you mind if do me a favour?"

"What's is it Jaune? It's not going to be something perverted is it?"

"What? No! What sort of guy do you think I am."

"Hmm yeah, you're probably the type of guy to friend zone girls who are interested in you. I bet you wouldn't even notice them that way."

"I think I would notice when a girl likes me." I shook my head, we were getting off topic. "Anyway, do you know earlier I said I wanted to get autographs of those hunters?"

"Yes?" She turned her head to the side, probably recalling the conversation.

Right, how to ask this without sounding like a fan boy.

"Since, you're a hunter in training, I figured you might one day become really famous, and I guess it would be really cool to have something to remember you by. So well, what I'm saying is, can I have an autograph?"

She blinked heavily. Guess this did come out of the blue.

She looked me straight in the eye with the most serious expression I had seen.

The image was broken when she broke into a grin.

"I would love to give an autograph! It makes me feel like a movie star! Here."

She reached deep into her pockets, pulling out some paper and pen.

"To my favourite detective. Hope you don't get airsick again. xxx"

"Haha thanks." She passed the autograph over and I carefully grabbed it.

"No problem at all." she replied.

A loud honk resounded through the docks and we both turned to the source. A man in distance leaned on his car. He was waving at us and Watson seemed to recognise him.

"My dad's here. Leave it to him to interrupt an arrest." She turned back to me. "I'll see you soon OK?"

"Definitely." I nodded. "Maybe when and if I set up a detective agency, you could come visit."

"I'll try." She smirked. "A girl like me is busy after all."

I watched her walk towards her dad. The gentle orange sunset highlighted her silhouette giving her an almost glowing complexion.

It was like a scene straight out of a movie.

I went over the autograph and at the bottom she had written her name.

_To my favourite detective. Hope you don't get airsick again. _

_xxx _

_Yang Xiao Long(That's Watson for you)_ ∩( ・ω・)∩

Yang Xiao Long, I'll make sure to actually call her that next time I see her.

It was then I realised something.

Something important.

"Where's the hotel I'm staying at!"

* * *

_Present day_

Luckily there were some police officers that helped me with directions. Mom and dad was pretty mad about the whole ordeal but they came over to fetch me. I decided to not work with the police force and refused an apprenticeship from them. Too many bad memories associated with them.

The media were all over the scene afterwards. They compared the footage of my deduction to proper television shows and I heard scripts being passed around in hopes of launching a television series of a detective. As a minor, I got off on a warning for entering the crime scene. The police couldn't do much else than that, one of their top ranking members turned out to be a murderer and they lost public support. In the wake of it all my popularity grew.

At first, I had trouble finding serious cases to take, too many fans visited me to sign autographs. Still I persevered and eventually found myself in a need of an assistant. Adam came then, and being still new to the business, I kept with my persona since that was how I was known. I may have sort of accidentally called him Watson, a few times, OK a lot more than a few. My first case buried that habit into me. It's sort of a joke between us now. I'm sure Adam knows I'm just messing with him.

After that, requests came which I occasionally accepted. Most of them ended up in the news which just made my reputation swell even more. It even got to the point where I now have a fan base. Anyway, thanks to solving the blackmail incident, Mr Schnee was actually very grateful for my help and had given some more cases afterwards.

I would say we have a good friendly business relationship.

That persona stuck with me now though. Can't go out in the public without some passer-by getting me to say 'it was you' then point dramatically. I'm pretty much a celebrity of sorts.

I wonder what happened to Yang though. She hasn't contacted me since that incident. She got pretty famous for awhile as well but faded into obscurity after that case. Ah well, I'm sure wherever she is, she's kicking ass somewhere.

I had a promising start as a detective but even now with all this success I'm not sure if I should switch back to my original dream of a heroic hunter. Well, that could be for later, after I leave the hospital and deal with this phoenix martial art girl.

And to do that I need information.

Some light knocks rang through my room.

"Enter!"

A short young girl with dark red hair, who looked a couple of years younger than me, popped her head through the door. Her wide eyes blinked owlishly at me and I had to refrain a smile at how awkward it made her look. She shuffled into the room in a way I could only describe as 'that funny way when fans meet me'.

"So, Mr Arc you wanted to see me?"

17 and already being called a mister by girls younger than you. Not sure whether to be proud or not.

Eh, I'll settle for being proud. It's the better option.

"That's right. I heard from Adam that you were involved with that incident. Ruby was it?" she nodded. "I was hoping you could tell me your side of the story."

* * *

**AN: So first time writing a mystery. What do you guys think? The reason why I didn't reveal Yang's name until the end was to lure the viewers into thinking she isn't the culprit. Then I would pull the rug under you and make you doubt everything about her. Then I would pull the run under you guys again.**

**The captain, victim and employee didn't have names because of two reasons.**

**One, I was being lazy.**

**Two, when I read mysteries a lot of time I forget the names and their roles, so I decided to combine the two to make them easier to remember.**

**The narrative will shift to Blake next for her arc then back to Adam. I might put an interlude between Blake's and Adam's arc. Hopefully real life won't bog me down and I'll get enough time to write. Anyway enjoy the story.**


	7. Infiltration I

**Chapter 7 (Blake Belladonna)**

I wasn't lying when I told Adam I was busy.

After Adam left with his mission, I headed to another meeting with another faunus. This faunus approached me after finding out I worked for Jaune. Apparently, he accidentally made contact with the criminal that put poor Jaune in the hospital.

He seemed sincere and wanted to talk to pass some information along.

Arriving early to the library, I sat down and pulled out my book. I'm fully aware of how introvert this makes me seem, but throughout my whole life books have been my companions. Many solitary nights drifted by as I quietly turned the next page. It's not the most passionate of hobbies I admit, but knowing someone somewhere put together strings of letters together to form a world beyond remnant, beyond their world and perception.

It made me feel a little gratified.

The ambient noise faded and I soon immersed myself into the world the author created.

I don't know exactly how much time passed, but before long my reading was interrupted by the sound of a chair scrapping across the carpet.

"Hey, sorry I was late, you have no idea how much trouble it took to get here."

Sitting cross-legged on a chair was the boy who had contacted me. Striking blond hair, a tail playfully hovering about and a shirt more appropriate on the beach.

Looks like Sun Wukong made it.

"It's fine, I had my book to keep me occupied." I placed a book mark and shut it slowly to avoid creasing the pages too much.

"So yeah, I was thinking maybe after this we could go have a drink maybe? I'll pay of course! I have some money to spend since I'm on holiday."

"No thank you Sun, I simply want to discuss what you mentioned earlier."

"Right right, straight to business." He nodded as his tail played around with his shirt. "But it's kind of long, it might take a while. Maybe it would be better if we found a more a relaxing place?"

"You're looking relaxed to me."

"It's not a holiday if I'm not enjoying myself." He said, leaning back and balancing his chair on two legs. "Course as long as you're around I'm always gonna be in a good mood." He smiled a cheerful smile that would convince any daisy to flower. "Though I have to say, I never thought I would go to a library. Life is full of surprises huh?"

"Yes, I would say so."

My life certainly had a lot of surprises.

"How about the park? Or maybe the hillside?"

"I'm fine here Sun."

No need to move when I'm already settled in.

"OK, OK that's cool as well." He nodded along as he spoke. "So there I was just exploring Vale. Nothing like Mistral, by the way, way too many skyscrapers. Back home there's these fancy architect structures. I think you'll totally would be impressed by them." I coughed lightly and he paused his rant. His eyes widened, probably realising that he was going off on a tangent. "Anyway, when 'smash', I heard glass shatter. I looked around but nothing was there, not even a bird. I was about to head away but gunfire started going off. I was like 'whoa this must be some serious business' so I sneaked around a bit, climbed up the trees and saw your boss milling about. He was all quiet, like out of those ninja movies."

He motioned some karate slices and I raised my eyebrows. I understand his need to postulate while telling his story but it's interrupting his flow of speech. He stopped at my stare and scratched his cheeks.

"So I thought I needed to investigate some more. I crept around, dashing from side to side, taking out some grunts in the meantime. They didn't stand a chance when they faced me on." He puffed proudly and slapped his chest.

That suggests that he's a good fighter then. I can tell he's an agile person. He likely developed his fighting style from that and extended it to the point where he can casually deal with the lower ranked members of the white fang.

Of course with what his stomach shows, it's obvious he dedicated time to training his body.

It reminded me of my younger days, where I was put through harsh training while I was a white fang member. After completing my tutelage, I was sent to the combat squad to be of use to the organisation. All that time spent doing missions, I thought I was fighting for the right thing. That this was the path needed to finally achieve equality among both races.

But it was futile.

The organisation became more violent, more merciless and I couldn't stop it. More and more of my missions led to a higher amount of casualties.

I couldn't deal with it, too many nights I lay awake, unable to forget the screams of the people I hurt. Just like Tukson, I wanted to leave. To do some real good elsewhere. I had to choose between my ideals and my comrades.

I chose to leave.

Well...

That's a thought for another time. I should focus on what Sun had to say.

"-so, I spun my awesome gun chucks around. He wasn't prepared for my combination and he took off flying. I actually kinda felt bad for sending him that far, but he deserved it for his holier than thou attitude. He was asking for it really."

"Yes, I'm sure he begged for you to send him off flying."

"Eh, he didn't really talk much. I bet wearing those masks makes it hard to talk. Would muffle your voice."

Actually the masks were designed with that in mind as well. You would find that if you wore it you'll be able to speak normally with them on. It was never an issue to communicate, and it was an easy way to identify your rank within the organisation.

Not that I'll tell Sun any of that.

"And what happened after?" I prompted.

"So the mooks ran off scared. They knew who was the top dog around was. I actually overheard some interesting things as they ran. Something about the other base, what was it? Ah, I'll remember it later. Point is their boss came down and this woman in heels start spreading flames everywhere at me. I high-tailed it out of there. No way did I want to fight someone like that. I knew she was out of my league."

Seems like he made contact with White Fang's mysterious benefactor. Cinder I believe her name was. Rumours went wild around the time I left, but I never paid any attention to them since I was focused on escaping.

"So is that all?"

"Pretty much I guess." He folded his arms, I'm guessing he's going over everything he said. "Ah wait, now I remember. Their second base, they mentioned it was in the mountains somewhere. Glinn, I think."

"Mountain Glenn." I corrected

Vale's biggest expansion failure. Now overrun by Grimm, no one would contemplate travelling there.

The perfect spot for a hidden base.

"Anyway, that's pretty much it. So uh, you wanna hang out? We could visit your boss if you want? I'm sure he would appreciate the company."

I absently made a response.

It would take some time to reach there, but I could sneak my way on board an airship or, if I get desperate enough, drive my way there.

As for how to travel back, the White Fang must have used something to get there in a first place. Whether it was a car or a plane it doesn't matter, as long as I can hijack the vehicle.

Even as an ex-white fang member, I wasn't privy to their plans. On paper, stealing dust and sabotaging was certain to get people's attention, but I was worried something more was going on behind the scenes.

Something sinister.

Even if there isn't, the White Fang are still committing atrocious crimes. If I could get some lead on their next attack, maybe innocent lives could be saved.

Plan decided, I made my way to the library exit.

Sun startled at my sudden departure, but quickly leapt out of his seat to follow.

"Thank you for the information but I'll be leaving now."

"Hey, what's the rush? We barely even talked that much."

"I got some side jobs to do. You go enjoy your vacation."

"H-hey wait!" he jogged to keep up with my pace. "Why the rush, we still got plenty of the day to go. It's only morning."

"It's important."

"Important enough that you can't take a few hours off? You're boss isn't giving orders to you is he? I didn't take him for a slave driver."

"No, it's not that it's a personal problem."

"Maybe I could help? It's always better to talk these things through."

I stopped and turned to face him. "Sun, I'm busy. Leave."

I didn't wait for his response.

I strode away and this time he didn't follow.

* * *

Of course, infiltrating an enemy base was never a simple procedure. For one, they might recognise me, I may have left the white fang but that doesn't mean they've forgotten my face. Luckily, during my time in the main base I always wore a mask. They might not recognise my face but my hair would still stand out among the crowd.

After I left, I didn't have a place to live. Jaune was nice enough to offer me a room at his detective agency. Pursuing through my make up, the brown hair dye caught my eyes. It'll take some time, especially if I want to avoid damage to my other set of ears, but I'll soon look unrecognisable.

Several hours passed as I continuously applied make up, darkening my skin tone. After the trouble it took to finally leave, risking my exposure due to being identified was the last thing I want.

Rummaging through my wardrobe for some disposable clothing to wear, I found an old, worn out sweatpants and a T-shirt that I probably only wore once.

One last check with my bullets and I nodded to myself.

I was ready.

To anyone else, they would be nervous at the prospect of surrounding themselves with enemies.

To me that's nearly how all my life had been.

It wasn't blatant with outright attacks against faunus but even as a child I knew there was a certain restless tension between faunus and humans. It made daily interactions between us stilted as if being read off a script.

Now, with the recent crimes from the White Fang, that prejudice had justification. It hadn't reached the tipping point yet, but people would walk by throwing a second glance at a faunus they passed.

I pray it never reaches the point where a civil war would start.

Making sure Gambol shroud was correctly placed, I began my way out of the agency. I'm not doing anything grand like stealing an aircraft, rather I'm doing the opposite. I'm going to buy a plane ticket that travels over mountain glenn then jump out at my destination.

It won't exactly be easy but it won't exactly be difficult either.

Once outside and making sure the door was locked, I checked both sides of the road.

Sun was there sitting down on the pavement.

Spotting me, he sprung up.

Persistent aren't you.

"Blake! Whoa, you look like a completely different person. I like your new hair."

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"Oh, not too long. Maybe a couple of hours."

I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms together.

"A couple of hours." I said flatly.

"OK OK, I get it. Maybe it was a bit sad waiting out here for you that long, but uh, I was worried. Thinking back on it, I was being pushy and I want to apologise for that."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I need to leave now."

I walked by leaving him behind me.

"You're not going there by yourself are you?" Sun's voice broke my stride. I turned just enough to face him.

"Going where?"

"Mountain Glenn. I looked up the place, it's completely overrun by Grimm. It's stupid to go there."

"I'm not going there."

I turned back ahead. He didn't need to involve himself in my business.

I felt my arm tug and Sun was there with an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"If you're doing what I think you're doing then you're being an idiot. You don't infiltrate any organisation without any backup. Who do you have to support you? Your boss? He's in a hospital if you haven't noticed."

"I don't know what you mean." I pulled forcefully against his hold. "I'm just taking care of some personal tasks. For the record, I can't read your mind so no, I don't know what you think I'm doing."

He stared at me a second longer before breaking out into a triumphant grin.

"OK, I'll just visit your boss then. I'm sure he wouldn't mind hearing about his secretary going on a visit to a Grimm infested ghost town."

That stopped me short.

Jaune shouldn't be more involved in this. He deserves some rest. Not get pulled in another life threatening case.

"Don't you dare, Sun." I snapped. "He doesn't need to know."

"So you _are_ going to Mountain Glenn. I said this before and I'll say it again. You're being an idiot. What part of the plan to explore an abandoned city sounds good to you. Even if the White Fang are there, you can let others handle it. The police, military, heck even your boss can probably deal with the situation better than you."

"I can't do that! If the faunus gets caught by them, what do you think will happen? They'll be put on trial and sent to the deepest pits with the keys thrown away! They need to be stopped, but not by someone who would give them no hope of a future! Don't you see? It has to be someone like me, someone who would give them a chance to change! They're misguided now but they can be set on the right track!"

My heart was beating rapidly. I clenched my hands and turned away not meeting his eyes.

"Nothing will change if I stand still." I continued. "More people will get hurt if I let the White Fang continue. I need to do this."

He stood rigid, I couldn't read what thoughts crossed his mind.

"Fine." he said.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Just like that?"

A cheeky grin plastered his face and he rested both hands behind his head.

"Yup, but you're not doing this alone. I'm coming with you."

"What?" I said, frowning.

"I still think what you're doing is stupid but well, I guess sometimes in life you need to take stupid decisions."

"You don't have to do this. I'm perfectly capable of handling this myself."

"Oh really? OK, how are you going to get there?"

"Take a plane. Jump out and investigate."

"Right, right." He bobbled his head as he spoke. "See that would be a good idea if you didn't have me around. As you're valiant partner for this mission, I'm offering my awesome cool ride."

"You're ride?" Somehow I don't think it will be too impressive.

* * *

I was completely correct in my assumption. It was very _unimpressive_.

"Is that an old model of a Bullhead?" I said incredulously. "How did you get your hands on this?"

Hopefully he didn't steal it.

"Friend lent it to me," he said, after checking it's engine. "Neptune his name is. Cool guy. We should all meet up, hang out at the beach maybe, he loves the seaside. Shame he's was busy with some things."

Too bad Vale doesn't have many good beaches.

That happens when you have amphibian Grimm hopping at you.

"Anyway," said Sun, "we need to stock up on some fuel. You mind showing me around?"

We headed to the town centre. During the walk, Sun kept blabbering on about some inane topic. I mostly kept quiet unless he asked direct questions. Even then I didn't say much.

"Here we are." I said. I pushed open the door and the bell above shook, chiming.

The shop had an oily smell it. On the wall there were several shelves of models of various planes.

A man in an employee outfit made his way over to me with a smile on his face.

That smile slid off when he spotted my companion.

"Oh, er welcome to my humble shop. How can I help you miss?"

He very pointedly ignored Sun.

"Yes, I would like to purchase some fuel for this model." I handed him the blueprints for the Bullhead that Sun had.

He quickly scanned through the papers and gave a brief nod.

"Very well, I will have your items in no time."

Sun had wandered off inspecting the models on display. The shopkeeper while not outright staring at Sun in suspicion, kept glancing at him every few seconds. A few minutes later the shopkeeper had a few jerry cans on the table.

"That would be 20 lien."

Sun handed him the money. The shopkeeper hesitated, staring at his hands, before swallowing his distaste and quickly snatching it out of his hands.

Sun grabbed the jerry cans and we left the shop.

Once outside, I whirled, facing Sun.

"How can you stand it?" I said, my tone sharp as a knife.

"Huh?" He blinked rapidly as if he was told the Sun went round the Earth.

It was enough to make my blood boil.

"That clerk! He obviously didn't want you to be there. He was watching you the whole time!"

"That's what's twisting you? Hey, I don't really care. I only care about the opinions of people who earned my respect."

I didn't have a response for that.

"Eh, can't really blame him either," he said, while adjusting the weight of the jerry cans. "You know with the White Fang terrorising everybody."

He had a point. I shrunk back, letting out a huff.

Well that's why we're going to deal with them ourselves.

* * *

The garage Sun parked his light aircraft in was a dingy place. Musty, with scuttling cockroaches about. Cheap doesn't even begin to describe the disrepair the garage was in.

I carefully chose where I placed my foot. I knew logically we were on the lowest floor, but I couldn't help but imagine the ground giving way.

"Hop in!" he said, waving his arms. "Don't worry I got a license and permission to fly this thing."

I leapt an arc and landed right in the passenger's seat. The whole machine wobbled like jelly and it occurred to me that there was a perfectly good stepladder right next to Sun.

I must have let something show on my face because Sun laughed at my landing. Or maybe he was laughing at something else, he's a difficult person to read sometimes.

The interior was exactly as I envisioned. The wall was a muted grey that looked like it was painted by an uninspired artist. There was enough room to comfortably walk by but not enough to stretch your arms.

Sun dropped down on the pilot seat and began fiddling with the controls. I strapped myself in and soon enough we began flying.

"Uh Blake, one question?"

"What is it?"

"Where's Mountain Glenn?"

I nearly slapped my face but settled for a sigh.

"It's that way." I said, pointing south east.

"Right, thanks."

The bullhead continued to rise and the land below soon became patches of colours.

* * *

"Remember to keep your approach low Sun." I warned. "We don't want to be spotted."

"Yeah, yeah got it captain." We flew low enough that I could make out individuals of Grimm.

"Do you see anything?" asked Sun. He was leaning over, attempting to catch a glimpse of what he can from his side windows.

Below us lay Mountain Glenn. Desolate, hostile and ruins were words that sprung to mind when I saw the abandoned city. The area was mostly filled with rubble from the decaying buildings. Plant life struggled to grow here and there.

"I think we're here. Drop down a bit further so we can land."

Landing the actual aircraft would leave it vulnerable to prowling Grimm. Instead Sun set the autopilot to hover. It would cost more fuel but at least our transportation won't be scrap metal when we come back.

Unless it got attacked by airborne Grimm, but they're rare to find in a city landscape. Buildings are too crowded for them to fly effectively.

We both dropped down and landed safely on the cracked asphalt. Our eyes scanned across the city in search for any potential danger.

Finding nothing, we relaxed our posture.

"So we got a plan?" asked Sun.

"Yes. We investigate, look for clues, if we spot a White Fang member we bluff or incapacitate our way in."

Sun shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

I yanked my bow letting the cool wind blow across my exposed feline ears.

"Let's go." I said.

* * *

**AN: And thus begins Blake's mission. Did you remember back in chapter 1 about the blond guy Cinder mentioned? I always planned for it to be Sun all along 'cus he's a cool guy, and he needs to be in more fanfics. Also gun-chucks, enough said. **


	8. Infiltration II

**Chapter 8**

Sun stared at me.

More specifically my ears.

"...what is it, Sun?"

My feline ears twitched slightly.

He blinked.

"Just thinking that you would look better without your bow."

I stayed silent.

The wind blew between us and Sun coughed lightly.

"Uh, so anyway, now the question is," began Sun, "where's the base? If there is one anyway."

"Put yourself in the enemies shoes." I said. "Where would you want a hidden base to be?"

"Hidden obviously. They'll want it easy to defend, spacious since White Fang needs to store their stolen dust somewhere and I guess somewhere where Grimm won't easily find them."

"Preciously." I nodded in approval. "Look around, there's not many places where you could fit those criteria. Grimm scavenge around these parts constantly. From what I've seen above, some buildings doesn't have the capacity to defend against serious Grimm attacks, their foundations are all weakened. We could investigate the stronger structures, if nothing turns up that only leaves us the air or underground."

"Oh!" His eyes lit up. "The underground! The article I read said something about tunnels. So you're saying they hid themselves there?"

I nodded. "That's what I believe at least. A subway entrance should be somewhere. There would be guards on a lookout. Quietly knock them out and steal their uniform."

A smirk played on Sun's lips. "I didn't know you were into guys in uniform. Maybe I should dress up? Get a," he shuddered, "_neck tie_."

I gave him my best 'not amused' face.

"OK, OK it was just a joke," he said, voice strained. "Lighten up the mood and all that."

"Not now, Sun."

We kept to the shadows, avoiding conflict with Grimm when we can. There weren't too many higher tiered Grimm present, mostly beowolves and the occasional death stalkers lurking about.

"Oh! I see them" Sun pointed at something in the far off distance. I joined him, and there in the corner was two White Fang members. They stood in front of stone steps leading downstairs. I couldn't distinguish what was down there from my angle but I'm sure we found their base.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Always." he replied, smiling.

We split from there, me going left and him going right. There wasn't much cover but we both made use of it to stay out of sight.

I peered over the rubble. They were just one leap away.

I steadied my grip on my weapon. I couldn't afford any mistakes now.

Like an arrow being fired, I shot my way forwards.

They both jumped at my sudden appearance and one of them almost called out.

Almost.

Sun blitzed in, smashing a heavy fist into the unlucky victim.

He crumpled over like wet tissue.

The other, too shocked at his partner's fallen form, didn't see the knife swinging at him.

The flat side of the blade smacked into his mask hard enough to send him sprawling. Stones scraped as he fell and he twisted attempting to defend himself from my follow up.

He was too slow.

I put my knife up to his neck.

He froze like a statue. His wide blue eyes, now visible, were on the blade.

Just a centimetre more and blood would spurt from his neck.

Gambol shroud felt cold on my skin.

I could taste the fear coming off him.

My mind flashed back to those screams of pain. To the times when I let someone die because of me, because of my negligence.

Then suddenly I whipped my blade on his head, knocking him out.

I let out a breath.

I won't let that happen again.

Not when I can stand and fight.

"Let's take their clothes." I said.

Sun let out a snort.

How mature of him.

Bound and tightened, we left the two guards high up on a skyscraper. This way, they won't get attacked from wandering ground based Grimm.

We changed putting their uniform over our normal clothing. The mask fitted neatly over us and after a quick check with each other, making sure nothing was out of place, we headed down the stairs.

It was dark and dank in the tunnels. Drops of water occasional echoed through the tunnels. For ordinary humans they would have trouble navigating their way in.

Too bad their opponents today aren't humans.

After a few minutes of silent walking, we caught murmurs down the tunnels. A bright white glow could be seen from the edge of the metal door and we hastened our way.

Entering a new room, the dazzling lights made eyes water. The moment passed, my vision adjusted, and I took in what I saw.

A massive cavern with intricate man-made structures littered the edge of the walls. Various crates were carted with various machinery. Guns, androids and a whole host of weapons were lined up in train compartments ready to be transported.

"They looked geared for war." commented Sun.

I had to agree, this level of weaponry would only be seen during war time.

"Hey you two!" A sudden voice cut through the silent atmosphere.

We both tensed.

My hands instinctively went to my blade.

"What are you doing there?! Get back to work!" A woman, donned in the usual White Fang uniform, appeared behind us.

"Yeah uh," said Sun. "We'll be on our way."

I nodded in agreement.

We both headed further inwards while the woman kept an eye on us.

I didn't let go of the blade until she was out of sight.

From here, I could see other members milling about with their tasks. Sun and I walked casually through the masses, sparing a few glances at the others.

A few curiously observed us but eventually lost interest and went back to their jobs.

For the most part we didn't have much trouble.

We helped around moving boxes, taking a few chance peeks to see its contents.

As expected it was mostly dust. The other boxes yielded mostly the same results. Occasionally we would find basic living supplies like food and water.

It makes sense to have those. There's probably a large number of White Fang members who actually live here.

Strange enough, as we explored, we found a game's room.

Sun couldn't keep his curiosity in check, venturing in despite my warning not to do so.

I sighed at his audacity then followed him in.

It's wasn't exactly an elaborate room. A few wooden tables and chairs were about. Poker chips lay about while board games were left hazardously on the side. There were some dart boards lined up on the far side of the wall and three darts were embedded in the centre. Some people were at the pool table, laughing at some joke we didn't hear.

"Why would there be a games room?" whispered Sun.

"Well, we are in the middle of Grimm infested territory." I whispered back. "It would be a good idea to keep morale up. They can't be working all the time, they would need to unwind somehow. There aren't any online connection here as well, so they can't visit websites either."

"Huh, you know when you hear about them in the news, you don't really consider that they're doing other things to pass the time."

"They're people too. The media just glosses over details like that."

We sat down on a nearby seat.

I faked a yawn and stretched my arms, giving an impression of exhaustion. "Oh, I'm tired of moving boxes." I said, voice scratchy. "When will we ever be finished?"

The man at the pool table, helpfully replied. "Sorry, we're going to be moving boxes until we at least settle into the new base. Stick with it until then OK? It's just one small step on the path ."

I hummed back a reply.

"I haven't seen you two around before. New recruits?"

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"Make sure you train yourself then. We carry out raids quite often."

"When is the next raid?"

He shrugged lightly. "Only the boss knows."

So much for asking.

"You two!" A man stood at the door way pointing at us. "Come help me out here. Boss man wants to move this stuff into his room."

That was lucky. I didn't expect to have such an early opportunity to meet the leader.

We helped haul some boxes and followed the man to the far side of the path.

Along the way, I caught sight of a narrow cliff. Further down, remnants of old forgotten structures lay in waste like a decrepit graveyard. Thinking about it now, somewhere down there, a person had died trapped within the confines of the tunnels. Sealed and abandoned, dwindling resources, it must have been hell knowing death had you in its sights.

I shook off my melancholy. Despite the sadness involved, there's nothing I can do about it now except pay my respects.

I hope they died peacefully.

The door creaked open.

An orange haired man wearing a black bowler hat was shuffling through some papers. He had a cigar between his fingers and he puffed out smoke, mindful to aim away from his work.

Roman Torchwick, criminal mastermind, stood there in front of me.

Any news channel would immediately inform you that he was a wanted terrorist. Kidnapping, robbery, suspected for murder cases, so many crimes can be attributed to that deceitful man.

I wanted to attack him. To put him to justice and stop his mad schemes.

And I was about to.

Until a _very _short girl wandered in.

Short enough to pass off as a 12 year old girl.

I blinked, almost actually believing a prepubescent girl had somehow sneaked in.

It was the way she held herself that broke that belief.

Precise and measured like a stalking tiger, she somehow exhibited an aura of cockiness with every step.

No young girl would ever act like that without due cause.

Her hair must have been coloured artificially; you don't exactly normally see tricoloured hair.

Especially ones with colours like white, pink and chocolate brown.

She ambled by, smile on her face, happily dragging her umbrella along the hard ground. She left scratches where her umbrella trailed before.

She sharply turned towards me.

A heartbeat passed where we stared at each other.

I glimpsed her pink and brown heterochromatic eyes.

She blinked and they switched colours with each other.

They say the eyes are the windows to your soul.

The saying holds more water when it comes to hunters. Everyone's soul activates their semblance which in turn occasionally changes their eye colour when activated.

Does that mean she activated her semblance then?

"Yes yes," called Roman, "just drop them off to the side there." He lazily gestured to an empty table.

Sun and I left our boxes as indicated. The third white fang member walked out and we made to follow.

Or at least we pretended to.

My hands went inside my pocket, drawing Gambol shroud.

I kept my weapon out of view and nodded to Sun.

He nodded back.

I shimmered forward, bouncing off my clone to gain extra speed. I held my sword threateningly to Roman's neck.

He dropped the papers and slowly raised his arms.

"What is with this week? First the warehouse and now this!" He didn't sound threatened, merely exasperated.

"Don't move, don't talk, no sudden movements." I pulled the blade just a bit tighter. "That goes for you as well." I gestured towards the girl.

Her smile widened.

"Sun," I called. "Check the papers. Take what you can."

"Right." He went to do as asked.

I turned back to the short girl. She didn't spare him a glance as he passed her. Rather she was twirling her umbrella playfully like a baton.

Somehow, I got the feeling she wasn't seeing me as a threat.

In fact it felt like she was mocking me.

"What's your name?" I asked.

The girl raised her head up to the side, smirking.

She blinked again and her eyes switched colours.

Something about the lights shifted like I was viewing a mirage.

I felt the air go heavy. My throat dried and I swallowed keeping my throat moist. Goosebumps crawled up my arms, unsettling my tight grip. Despite being in an advantageous position, my sixth sense was telling me to run. To escape from the nightmare in front of me.

I ignored it.

I couldn't give up now.

Not when we were so close.

"All right, got everything we need." He stuffed the papers in his pockets and gave me a thumbs up.

"Torchwick, you're going to use the microphone and clear a route for us to escape. Grunt if you understand."

He didn't respond.

In fact he wasn't moving at all.

Torchwick's image shattered to glass in front of me and I took an alarming step back.

Panic rose within me. I searched the room for any sign of him.

That's when the alarm went off.

Torchwick's voice rang loud and clear.

"White Fang, we have an intruder in our midst. Do be _useful_ once and take care of them."

The girl had already disappeared.

I didn't make a snappy comment or scream at the unfairness of the situation.

I just ran.

* * *

"You know," drawled Sun as we ran, "I kinda wanna say I told you so."

"Shut it, Sun."

Ducking under another barrage of bullets, we leaped off another cave cliff. Splintering myself, I jumped off my temporary clone, increasing my distance.

Sun, for his part, controlled his landing and surfed his way down the cliff side, leaving a trailing dust cloud behind.

I heard an engine roar and a tall man on a motorcycle dived down the steep incline. His oversized chainsaw crackled to life, spinning rapidly.

I readjusted my grip while running. Firing Gambal shroud, my aim held true, and a pierced tyre stalled the motorcycle to a halt.

That didn't exactly stop the ten other motorcycles leaping off the cliff.

I fired again in quick succession. They were smarter this time, taking routes with more cover and sudden turns to throw off my aim.

I scored some hits but more had dodged.

"You got anything Sun!?"

"On it!" Sun clasped his hands together, two glowing clones sprouted into existence. They ran intercepting a nearby motorcycle. The grunt panicked, loosing control of his vehicle and crashed painfully into a wall.

After that, they decided it would be better shooting bullets at us.

I sliced the metal projectiles, cutting them in two.

I might be fast enough to defend myself from the onslaught but Sun was a different story.

"Ah! Oh! Ah! Damn!"

It was a miracle he didn't have any bullet holes in him.

But he wouldn't be able to keep dodging. Already he had burn marks from a few glancing bullets.

Any longer and he would surely be killed.

I couldn't retaliate while I was busy defending both Sun and I from the bullets.

Sun continued sending his clones, but now that the surprise factor had worn off, the motorists dodged them with ease.

One ambitious biker drove up next to us. He took out a sword, preparing to cut me down the moment I gave him the opportunity.

Like I'll let him.

I activated my semblance, leaving multiple clones to distract the gunners. I flash stepped at him, slicing through the wheel, then frame, and then through the second wheel in one smooth motion.

The rider's momentum still carried and he landed head first on the gritty floor.

He rolled to a halt but crawled himself back up.

I swallowed deeply.

I'm glad I didn't accidentally kill him.

I still left him there though.

"You see a way out!" I yelled, just a little worried. We had been running non stop the entire time with gunners blaring down on us. Even with my experience, I knew I wouldn't last much longer. Sooner or later, I would mistime the next bullet or I would run out of aura to enhance my speed with.

"Just ahead I think. Through that door!"

We bolted through the narrow entrance and the motorcyclist skidded sideways to prevent crashing into it.

We ran up the stairs taking 4 four steps at a time. Sunlight could be seen, and I held out hope that we might be able to escape.

That hope evaporated when we ran into a pack of beowolves.

A big pack.

I estimate around 200 from a glance.

They surrounded us in an enclosed circle.

I rubbed my temple slowly.

This was getting ludicrous.

"Let's make a path and escape! We won't be able to last against all of them if we fight them individually." I called.

"Got it."

Sun pulled out his weapon, a staff, and smacked it on a beowolves' face. It neck twisted fast enough I heard a sickening crunch.

The staff acted more as a limb than a weapon as Sun wove it around him hitting unconventional areas.

I didn't leave him to do all the work as I pushed forward from the gap he made. Quick as lightening, a dozen or so Grimm's life ended in a series of swipes.

The beowolves didn't let up and they chased us down with feral ferocity. Snapping jaws and spittle spreading where they crossed.

I crinkled my nose at the putrid smell.

I leapt back with an assist from my clone. Sun was by my side facing some other beowolves.

He was swinging his now nunchucks in a complicated circular manoeuvre. It was like he turned into a whirlwind, any who dared enter his range were flung back twice as hard as they came. One large beowolf, however clawed his way forward, taking on the brutal hits with ease.

Sun eyes narrowed and he ran up the large Grimm as if it was a ladder. He swung the chains around its neck and fired both guns at once. The force carried him high, the chains tightened around the Grimm's neck. Like a balloon bursting, the Grimm's head popped sending the torn off head onto the ground, squelching as it did so.

I kept up the pressure, firing with my gun. The beowolves screamed in pain. Taking advantage of their temporally disorientation, I tore into their limbs, ripping up chunks as my blade left their body.

A line cleared up from our combined assault.

We forced through, striking any teeth and claws that got too close.

Just at the last second before we were overwhelmed again, we made it out.

I turned back to see the writhing mass of black shadows.

With a final glance, I ran away.

* * *

My aura was depleted but I should still be able to fight another barrage should it comes down to it.

Luckily we didn't need to as our ride was still there, hovering untouched by the battle beneath.

We scaled the wall and hopped off. Both of us landed through the open window.

Sun set about piloting the plane.

I let myself lay there. Muscles relaxing and my breath calming to a more natural level.

I wiped off the evaporating gore from my blade, careful to not accidentally cut myself or breathe in the toxic black gas.

"That wasn't too bad actually." said Sun. He was rummaging through the papers he had taken.

"What does it say?" I asked curiously.

"Hang on, give me a moment." He pursed through his collection before grabbing a bunch. "Here, you can read these." He tossed over some papers which I hastily caught.

I gave him a glare. He shouldn't treat the information we risked our life for so carelessly.

I shook my head.

I'll berate him later.

Unrolling the papers, I scanned through its contents. Details about Vale's structure stood out. Buildings, streets, several diagrams of water pipes, it had the underground system of Vale.

The second paper was on bombs.

That was concerning to say the least.

To see them planning to construct a bomb and a map of Vale's city structure, were they plotting on blowing up key parts of Vale?

But those vulnerable places would be well defended. It's unlikely the council would simply leave them when the White Fang was so open with their hostility.

It didn't matter. I could think them through them later or pass the information along to someone else when we arrive back.

"Blake, I think you should take a look at this."

He shoved a page at me.

Trains?

"What is this?" I asked.

"The underground train line, " he said, tone weary, "it's supposed to be sealed off."

I nodded. That's how the news reported it when they covered Mountain Glenn expansion failure.

"Well it looks like they _unsealed_ it and it connects directly with Vale. All that dust they stole? They using them to build some kind of bomb and blow up the walls. They're going to round up huge numbers of Grimm and lead them directly to Vale."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I imagined the madness it would cause.

The terror, the gleeful growls of the Grimm as they feasted on people.

If enough Grimm penetrated in the city.

Vale would be wiped out.

It doesn't matter how many hunters there were because the Grimm population would never be suppressed.

It would be an invasion force that no one could defend against.

"We need to warn them." I said, fumbling to grab my scroll. I thanked my luck it wasn't damaged. "Out of range." I stated bluntly. I tossed it back, disgusted at the limitations of technology.

I didn't have time to ponder on it because a bleeping noise sounded through the cockpit.

"...Sun, what was that?"

"The radar."

"Radar for?"

"Usually airborne Grimm. It picks up aircraft as well."

I stuck my head out the window. The wind was loud enough that I had to shout to hear myself.

"I don't see any Grimm!"

"Do you see anything else then?"

He tapped the radar screen. The two lights came close with every sweep across the circular display.

This time I looked up.

I very calmly turned towards Sun.

"They're sending bullheads against us."

"Oh, is it an old model?" asked Sun hopefully

"It's the newest one."

"The ones equipped with big powerful guns?"

"That's right."

We stewed in silence.

I sighed.

We're in for a rough dogfight.

* * *

**AN: Just to clarify this all takes before Beacon starts. You might wander if the Mountain Glenn actually did exist at this point in time. Well Roman must had put the stolen dust somewhere in his previous robberies. I assumed Mountain Glenn was one of them. It's not much of a stretch to have it exist. Though the base is still relatively new, everyone from the base back in chapter 1 is still in the process of moving in there.**


	9. Infiltration III

**Chapter 9**

A heavy rattle of gun fire resounded and Sun hastily performed a barrel roll slipping us through the gaps. Our bullhead screeched violently and our altitude rose. The two airships whizzed past us and we barely managed to drop down in time to dodge the second round of bullets.

I tumbled uncontrollably in my seat, barely restrained by the seatbelts.

"Please tell me you have some guns on this plane!" My voice came out vibrating.

"This was meant for civilians, not for fighting off terrorists!"

Another bombardment of gunfire came down on us. Sun twisted the controls stick hard enough to strain his muscles. We ascended higher to avoid their line of sight. The abrupt shift caused the g-forces to sharply rise. Blood rushed to my head and I fought to stay conscious.

Anything that wasn't strapped down toppled over. The papers slapped into my face and I shook my head side to side to get it off.

Sun was having similar problems. The mask he was wearing had slid off to the side. It didn't impede his vision but it must had been distracting.

We spun a tight circle followed up with zigzagging at a diagonal angle.

The enemies bullhead continued pursuing us, never letting us have a moments rest. They herded us like a sheepdog would, forcing us into dangerous paths.

Their superior manoeuvrability kept us within their sights. To them we were targets performing flashy stunts to delay our destruction.

We couldn't win this.

Not when we were outnumbered and outclassed this badly.

"Drive into the clouds! Get some cover!" I shouted.

Sun obeyed, pulling the joystick up as far as it would go.

The bullhead flew perpendicular to the ground.

The enemies didn't sit quietly.

They chased after us like a wild dog firing their bullets at us. Previously, we only survived because of our wild trajectory. Now? Travelling in a straight line?

We were easy targets.

Normally that is.

I tied one end of my ribbon to my seat and wrapped the other end on my arm.

My seatbelt unbuckled and giving a final tug, I jumped out the door.

"Blake!" Sun eyes widened in panic but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

Sun's scream disappeared under the powerful winds.

My eyes squinted from the harsh gusts.

I angled my body against the bullhead, using what traction there was to gain a foothold.

If I had full use of my arms I might be able to cut down the bullets before they reach us.

But with one arm and limited mobility?

Not a chance.

Instead I'll use my semblance.

My clones have mass.

If I could produce enough of them in quick succession well...

It would give new meaning to the phrase meat shield.

We ascended fast and brutal.

I pulled deeply on my semblance.

Dozens of after-images appeared and more splintered into existence as I continued draining my aura. My clones materialised where I was moments before.

It was like those watching scientific videos that showed the trajectory of a bouncing ball.

My breath left me and I coughed heavily. I wasn't sure whether it was due to the altitude or my weakening muscles.

My clones took on the bullets fading into shadows that never existed. They slowed them down for my next doppelgänger to withstand.

I wasn't sure how many I needed to create so I hastily ejected as many clones as I could.

My aura ached at the strain.

I grit my teeth, bearing the stress.

I don't know how much longer I could last.

Please hold out long enough.

Please.

I felt something snap inside me.

My vision dimmed.

Breathing became a chore.

The coldness in my hands felt distant.

The warmth of my aura, so familiar, so comfortable like hot chocolate on a cold winters day, was gone.

Somewhere in my awareness, I heard my name being called.

I tried to get up but it was so _hard_ to stay awake.

Just a few more minutes in bed.

I promise I'll be up after.

"**Blake**!"

I jolted back to consciousness.

I was barely clinging onto my ribbon. My legs dangled aimlessly.

Sun was there griping onto my ribbon with his tail.

I focused on his intense grey eyes.

Tears flowed from them.

They glittered as they fell from his face.

Frost was building on his blonde hair.

I could see him yelling for me and it felt like melting with every sunrise.

He reached out to me, pleading.

How could I possibly deny him?

I took hold of his hands.

And he grabbed me, right as the clouds surrounded us.

The whiteness obscured my vision but a guiding hand assured me I would be safe.

Then I landed hard on a chair.

The doors were slammed shut and windows slid closed.

Sun collapsed onto his seat, shivering. He hugged himself like a boy would hug his teddy bear.

"I heard cats liked high places but you take it to another level."

"Uh?"

I wasn't sure how to reply to that. Instead I asked the first thing that came to mind.

"How is the bullhead still flying?"

"Autopilot." was his one word response.

He rubbed his arms and blew into his palms, generating what heat he could.

"Are you alright?" I asked, frowning. I knew he jumped out after me but I didn't know how long he was actually out there for. Apparently long enough for frost to form on his hair.

"Yeah, fine. I'm good. Glad I wore that uniform over my top." He shook his hair like a wet dog and icy droplets landed on my face.

Why was he so nonchalant about this? We both almost died.

"Stop," said Sun. "You have that confused look again. I can guess what you're thinking and my answer is that it doesn't matter. All I saw was a girl who needed help. That's all I need to know."

In some ways he reminded me of Jaune, in his ability to help out despite many reasons on saying no.

But at the same time he didn't in that he felt more wild. More unpredictable.

"Hey Sun?"

"Yeah Blake?"

"Thank you, for saving me I mean." I drew in my arms, feeling the chill of my clothes.

He stared for a second longer before breaking out into the most brilliant grin I had seen. "If anything I need to thank you! If it wasn't for your quick thinking I would be on my way to the afterlife."

Maybe he doesn't like being thanked or maybe knowing he helped someone was enough of a reward.

I still thanked him again.

"Can I have a hug? It's kind of cold." he said.

I laughed slightly. Just a kind of cold? You have frost in your hair.

I still hugged him anyway.

Of course I regretted it instantly because hugging him was like hugging an icicle.

"Maybe you should actually take back the controls now." I said nodding to the controls. "We've been travelling in a straight line for a while now."

"Oh right, good point."

We were still in the large white cloud. Sun set the bullhead back to hover. It would be best to avoid accidentally revealing ourselves because we drove too far.

I got up to stretch my legs.

And promptly fell back again, legs spasming.

All my senses were assailed with agony. It was like my whole body was a giant bruise and just one touch will erupt a series of convulsions.

I suppose expending that much aura that quickly like that wasn't exactly the smartest plan.

Live and learn I suppose.

I checked my black ribbon, finding it as strong as usual. Gambol shroud was still as sharp as ever.

Good I could still fight.

Despite having made it inside the clouds, we only bought time. I wasn't foolish enough to hope they would leave. They would use their radar and cross-reference each other to locate us. Even if we shifted around constantly they could just fire randomly into the cloud until they hit us.

We needed to take them down.

"Sun, I got an idea."

* * *

"Have I told you that your plan is insane?" said Sun.

"Yes, multiple times in fact." I know it wasn't the best idea but at this point there wasn't much else we _could_ do.

"It's just feels like a hundred things could go wrong."

"Everything will go wrong if we stay here any longer."

Sun sighed. "Just be careful OK?"

I nodded. "Always."

With that I jumped out of the bullhead.

Again.

I held onto the ribbon with both hands. I used what trickle of aura I had to reinforce my arms.

I snapped my eyes shut and held my breath.

I didn't want to breathe in a mouthful of water.

My ribbon unravelled and I was pulled suddenly along with the plane.

I took a moment to appreciate the situation.

Surfing clouds while being dragged by a bullhead wasn't exactly a normal thing.

This was probably the most extreme water skiing there was.

The misty air rubbed smoothly on my skin. My feline ears was flapped down and my hair was soaking wet from the water vapour.

I suppressed a shiver and pressed my body tighter.

Then as sudden as Summer rain, it stopped.

Slowly, I peeled my eyes open.

Sunshine poured on me with golden rays. A blue sky more pure and fresh than the morning air towered above me.

And right there in the distance was one of the enemies bullhead.

Our radar pinpointed where they would be. They wouldn't expect us to fire back so they had no fear in approaching closely.

They got cocky, overconfident and now they'll pay for it.

Sun dived the bullhead back down, flinging me. I let go of my ribbon. My momentum launched me forwards as if I was flying.

My wet hair whipped to the side and I landed with thump onto the hard metal.

The pilot stared uncomprehendingly at my abrupt appearance.

I gave him a brief glare and stabbed Gambol shroud into the engine.

I heard something crackle in ways a machine shouldn't and leapt to the wings cutting deep into them as I went by.

I slashed at everything I could. The body, the tail, the turbines and anything in between.

The pilot hysterically pushed several buttons.

Nothing happened.

He yanked the joystick to the side.

When that yielded no results he did the smart thing.

He activated the emergency ejection seat.

I watched him drop before the parachute sprung open.

One down one more to go.

Sun returned with the bullhead. My ribbon was still swaying freely in the wind. Using the what little space there was, I sprinted from the edge of the wing. Right before I ran off the edge, I leaped, pouring aura into my calves.

I rose.

Then plummeted star-shaped.

I angled myself, reaching for the fluttering ribbon.

For a moment the ribbon almost slipped through my fingers.

My heart jumped and I panicked.

My semblance triggered, rattling every bone in my body and I controlled my descent enough to land on my ribbon.

My lungs drew in what thin air there was.

I wanted to rest so badly.

But I'm not out of the woods yet.

I kept my grip, waiting for Sun to pass through the clouds.

The other pilot must be furious now. We just took down one of his teammates which for all he knows might be dead.

It doesn't matter what he thinks, if it gives me an advantage when's he's angry, I'll take it.

We burst through the cloud cover. Sun spun a narrow arc and I rose up from the force of the curve. I ran sideways across the enemies bullhead, tearing into it as I passed. Fuel leaked out like blood and I pivoted away using the wall as a springboard.

The aircraft went down smoking.

I rolled as I jumped, landing harshly onto the door. Sun quickly unlocked it and hauled me back in.

I slumped face down on the floor, uncaring to its texture.

"That was amazing! You should had seen yourself. Oh it was like you actually grew wings and flew. Ah man. And uh you OK?"

My groaning should give him my answer.

"Uh, I'll let you take a break."

That break never came.

The clatter of bullets on metal resounded, sparks shot out and I covered my head in fear of getting blasted.

Eventually after a tense moment of silence, the bullets settled down. I peered out the window, wary of any sudden attacks.

Looks like the second pilot subscribes to the notion of 'taking us down with him'. I cursed myself for not being more thorough. Our ship warnings blared loudly and our engine began dying out. The bullhead veered off to one side. I slipped, wobbling and fell hard against the controls.

I blacked out.

* * *

I woke up drained in my seat. The bullhead was docked on a more natural cliff. Unlike the orderly ridges back in Mountain Glenn, this cliff had a more untamed beauty to it. Healthy plants and rock formations untouched by man or faunus spread out as far as the eye can see.

At the base of the cliff, there was a wide river flowing rapidly. At my height, I couldn't discern how deep it was.

Sun was nowhere to be seen.

The door on his side was opened and I set about untying the ribbon. I climbed out of my seat, muscles throbbing with every movement. I swung open my side of the door and gently placed a foot on the solid ground.

"Sun!" My weary voice echoed through the surroundings. I swallowed deeply. "Where are you!?"

"Over here!" I spun my head in the direction of his voice.

Sun was refuelling the aircraft. That last aerial battle must have taken up a large volume of fuel.

I let out a tired sigh.

"Sorry," he said, "did I wake you up?"

"No, it's fine. You didn't do anything." I eyed the plane. "Is the bullhead going to be OK? We did just get out of a fight."

Sun shrugged carelessly. "I checked it over just now. A few scratches here and there and I need to fix up the engine but nothing I can't convince Neptune to forgive. Now if we actually trashed it then he would skewer me. I promised him that I would bring it back in one piece."

"We should be fine. They haven't sent any reinforcements yet. After what we did, they'll be scrambling to escape before we inform the authorities of their base." I paused, considering the ramifications. "You might want to stay low for a while. If they recognise you and you aren't careful they'll assassinate you."

His mouth dropped open for a second before clamping it together. "Wow, that is not the thing I want to hear right now."

"What exactly do you want to hear?" I asked dryly.

"I don't know. You tell me?"

I folded my arms and raised an eyebrow. Haven't I already told him I can't read his mind. He can be so confusing at times.

He broke out into a grin. "I love it when you're grumpy."

I rolled my eyes, hiding the smile that threatened to come out.

I am most definitely not grumpy.

At most I'm mildly irritated

We didn't have time to talk more because I caught a girl in my peripheral vision.

I stared, blinking at her sudden appearance.

What is _she_ doing here?

It was same short girl earlier with an umbrella.

Sun, noticing my gaze, turned to where I was looking.

She was sitting idly on a rock, knees crossed and umbrella resting to the side.

She noticed us noticing and tilted her head ever so slightly.

That same self-satisfied grin was still there.

"We need to leave. Now." I said. At full strength I might be able to take her on, but as I am now? Exhausted with almost all my aura depleted, not a chance.

"I'm haven't finished fixing the engine yet!" he said in panic.

I bit my lip. I still have enough aura for a few more clones but I wouldn't call that a big advantage. The girl is probably near full strength. How did she arrive so quickly? Was she on one of the bullheads? I shook my thoughts away, it doesn't matter. All we need to do is get out of here alive.

She got up, umbrella lazily swinging from side to side. She strutted forward like nothing in the world could stop her.

Her smile turned positively vulpine.

Sun's eyes shifted into something fierce like a tiger waiting to pounce.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll handle her."

"Don't look at her eyes!" I said hurriedly. "I think she can use them to create illusions!"

Sun gave me a thumbs up.

"And don't think I'm just sitting this out. I'm helping as well." I said.

"That's more like it." He said with a grin. He swung his nun chucks, building its momentum.

I gripped gambol shroud firmly. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. My vision gained clarity as if I was seeing for the first time. I breathed heavily in anticipation.

With a loud crack Sun dashed ahead.

I brought up gambol shroud, pumping as many bullets as I could at her.

She opened up her umbrella blocking them and met Sun halfway.

He whirled his weapon beating down on her like a drum. Even from my distance I could feel the force radiating from the blow.

She dodged every single hit.

She extended herself, plopping her boots between his legs.

He tangled his feet and shrieked. He fell hard on the ground.

My bullets didn't even distract her. I clenched my jaw. Fine if bullets won't work I'll get up and personal.

I rushed to support him.

I spun like a tornado at her.

She blocked the incoming blade with a swift gesture, stopping me in my tracks. I pulled out my sheath, surprising her by stabbing it in her arm.

Her aura glowed briefly redirecting the damage.

My sword swung down on her fast enough to whistle.

She danced around them not letting the sharp blades touch her.

I growled frustrated at my inability to hit her. How can someone be this agile?

She grabbed my arm, wrenching it painfully into an arm lock before diving her heel into my shin.

I left a clone behind escaping the arm lock.

Immediately, my aura protested. I let out a gasp and dropped down on one knee from the sudden agony wracking through my body.

Sun got back up and threw dirt at her face using his tail. She whipped out her umbrella avoiding all the grains.

He activated his semblance. Two glowing clones flanked the girl and she swept them out of existence before they could do any damage. Sun shot at her while spinning his nun chucks like a windmill, smacking her. Explosions rang loudly across the cliff.

She redirected every shot with ease. I joined in, slashing at her unprotected back.

She flickered at speeds almost unperceivable and drove the spike of her umbrella into my stomach.

My aura barely reduced the damage. I choked and spluttered, clutching myself tightly. Already I can feel a bruise forming. I crashed backwards, skidding painfully across the ground.

Sun blazed in landing a jump kick on her chest. She back flipped with the force and landed cleanly on her toes.

She lazily shut her umbrella, somehow taunting us without speaking a word.

This was hopeless.

Even working together we can't dent her.

"You got a plan?" said Sun.

No? Maybe? I searched my head thinking up strategies. If we could remove her umbrella we might be able to fight her off but she's shown she was adept at wielding it. The chances of us actually taking it away from her by force? Not likely to say the least. Very unlikely in fact.

Her legs then? She can't dodge if they're tangled up but with the way she bounces around getting them wrapped up in the first place will be near impossible.

That leaves one option then.

"How fast can you fix the plane?"

"Maybe 2-3 minutes if I skipped a few steps?"

"I'll buy you time. Go."

He grimaced but nodded.

"I'll send some clones to help."

Five glowing clones popped into existence and hovered around me protectively.

He sped off.

The short girl continued to stare at me with her unnerving eyes. I loosened my ribbon, making sure it was tied correctly to gambol shroud. I took a few deep breath to regain my composure and turned to face her.

"You never told me your name?" I called hoping to distract her long enough. "I would like to at least know the name of who I'm fighting."

She didn't reply.

Can she reply? The thought came to me as we fought. Throughout the whole battle she didn't yelp or growl once.

"Are you possibly mute by any chance? You haven't talked once yet."

She gave me a look that I translated as 'wouldn't you like to know' or 'I'm better than you in every single way imaginable'.

It was probably both.

"Do you know what Torchwick is up to? Have you seen his plans? He is planning on swarming Vale with Grimm. People are going to die. How can you possibly stand there without a shred of remorse?"

I don't really expect this line of questioning to lead anywhere. She's working for him after all.

She might not talk but if I could distract long enough then maybe...

She sighed dramatically, still not letting a sound out, and shrugged nonchalantly as if to say 'I don't care'.

"Why are you helping Torchwick? Did he offer you money? Are you being threatened?" That I highly doubted. "What happened to you? Why are you like this?"

Her hand went up to her cheeks. She leisurely played with her umbrella.

"Who made you like this?"

She paused eyes going to the side.

Who is she thinking of?

Her umbrella unfolded with a snap. She came at me with a sadistic grin. I back away and Sun's clones charged in.

She twisted around them with great agility. A quick jab here and there and they popped like a balloon.

She flaunted her way over to me. Her boots crunching the dirt beneath.

I spun my arm in an arc, ribbon sailing with the gun at the end. It flew past her and I pulled shooting her from behind.

She dodged swiftly to the side.

I let the force of the gun spin the ribbon around me.

Again and again, I kept firing keeping its trajectory impossible to predict.

The gun that doubles as a knife flew in all directions. The ground split with neat incisions. Even then she deftly avoided my weapon.

Finally my ribbon caught onto her umbrella. Sparing what little aura I had I pulled with all my strength.

There was a brief moment where we played tug of war over her umbrella. I fleetingly thought I might pull away from her.

Then she overpowered me and my face slammed onto the ground.

It hurt.

A lot.

I spat out the dirt that got into my mouth.

She slowly unravelled my ribbon and delicately slid it off.

I looked up at her.

She smiled pleasantly at me.

It was the most terrifying thing I saw.

I tried flexing my fingers only to find I couldn't. My legs wouldn't respond at my urging.

A spike slid out of the bottom of her umbrella.

She positioned it above her.

My eyes widened at the incoming skewer.

I pulled desperately on what aura I had left. A clone replaced me and I appeared a few feet away.

The clone died away.

I felt the last dregs of my aura fade away.

Why is Sun taking so long? I won't last much longer here.

The engine roared to life.

_Finally._

The girl paused considering the bullhead docked away from us.

Then she hurled her spike at it.

I felt my hope die away as it flew.

It pierced through the skin and ended what life the bullhead had.

I don't usually swear but I'm sorely tempted to now.

Her eyes fell back on me.

I desperately crawled myself up. I ignored the numbing sensation spreading through my body.

Sun ran in wide eyed at what he saw. He sprinted at her shouting incoherently as he did.

The girl lifted herself onto his shoulders, hand standing almost parallel to where Sun stood then dropped down snapping her boots onto his nape.

I heard a loud crack.

"Sun!" I fell back on my knees. All senses gone.

He doubled over before crumpling.

The girl stood there for a moment admiring her work. She retrieved her spike and looked thoughtfully between us.

I think I know what she's thinking. I looked around desperately searching for something, anything that could save me.

She swaggered her way over. An insane smile on her usual smirking face.

My arms flapped uselessly by my side.

Is this it? Have I reached the end of the road?

I don't want to die.

Her shadow fell on me. Her usual coloured eyes were completely blank white.

I shut my eyes. I didn't want to see the weapon that would end my life.

My ears picked up a stagger. I snapped opened my eyes. Sun was still on the floor but he had several glowing clones alight. Three ran forward but she intercepted them. The rest ran for me.

My weight was lifted up and we jumped off the cliff.

I twisted my neck watching Sun smile woefully at me.

I reached out with my arm knowing it was futile.

"Goodbye." he said, barely a whisper.

The air came rushing at me.

My eyes watered. Ice gripped my heart. A deep sense of self loathing filled me.

I failed.

The clone holding me faded and I plunged deeply into the raging river.

Pain assaulted me and I saw stars.

My body was strung away by the cold rapid waves.

I couldn't keep hold of my consciousness.

I slipped into the darkness.

* * *

**AN: Phew finally done. Quite a lot of fight scenes this arc but hey RWBY is all about the battles, the excellent choreograph and the fantastic music. Can't do music and choreography in written form is kinda meh but hey at least I tried with the battles.**

**This ends the infiltration arc. Adam is next.**

****Edit: Welp I just found out that Sun couldn't use his semblance while moving. Guys at roosterteeth mentioned it in their commentaries. Hopefully you can ignore this fact.****


	10. Lost Cat I

**Chapter 10 (Adam Taurus)**

It was a horrible day when I woke up. It was dreary, pouring with rain and had that misty quality found only on cold nights.

Just how I liked it.

After completing my morning routines, I went about treating my various injuries. It wasn't serious but at the same time I couldn't leave them festering. The documents Tukson had left me were still on the desk. I knew there was a large sum of money on it but I was hesitant in using it. Not out of moral obligations but out of cautiousness. He was still a wanted man, the White Fang would be looking for him and until I can verify its safety, I'm not touching it.

Now the question remains, what will I do today?

_I should clean my sword. It had been put through hell the past few days._

Unlocking my cabinet, my pride and joy presented itself before me.

Dust infused swords, blades sharpened with the newest cutting-edge technology, a few archaic daggers all hung on the cabinet wall.

I breathed deeply, the smell of polished metal sent shivers down my spine.

_I blame that fool Jaune for always breaking my swords._

Case after case, I would regularly end up fighting. My beautiful blades would end up chipped or damaged from the battle. It cost far too much for me to fix routinely and it was only the large pay check that Jaune handed out that made me stay.

I grumbled to myself and mentally checked over each weapon.

A few needed adjusting but for the most part they were in all good condition.

My expert eye scanned through the sheaths. A few of them doubled as guns. Since the discovery of dust, technology exploded like an unpleasant mould growing on the wall. From there, people decided to get...creative. Nearly all modern weapons and I do mean nearly all of them now has a gun attached to it. I won't deny they're useful but when I hear combinations like gun-chucks I shake my head at the absurdity of it.

I reached below my collection, drawing out my sword maintenance package.

Time passed as I cleaned my sword.

Today should be the day Jaune was released. I'm betting he's bored out of his mind. He always disliked wasting away. Unfortunately, that usually led to me cleaning up after his mess when he inevitably sticks his grubby nose in where it doesn't belong.

I should be able to relax. The agency was closed for the day. With Jaune hospitalised, we won't be getting any irritating clients. Blake can handle the appointments that was set for today.

Where was she anyway?

_Probably visiting Jaune. She did mention something earlier along the lines of keeping company. A load of bull if you ask me. Jaune could take care of himself._

Except can he? Last I saw him, he was completely restrained in bandages. He might not be able to actually walk out.

I sighed. I guess my mind was made up.

* * *

"Oh Watson! How nice of you to visit me! I got plenty to tell."

_Should had stayed at home._

Jaune skipped around his hospital room. Far too many well wishes cards were on his table and I'm sure a fair number of them were written by woman twice his age.

I can't decide whether he's a lucky bastard or not.

He beamed at me and I had to squint from the sheer brightness he was radiating. Maybe he should volunteer himself at the lighthouse, people miles away would be able to spot his shining teeth.

Of course he wasn't alone. No, she had to be here.

"Hey Adam!" greeted Ruby. She was out of her bandages and back in her dress. Her exuberant eagerness rivalled even Jaune's good mood.

_Dear god they're multiplying._

They continued chatting about and I stood there, definitely not awkwardly.

The two stooges bounced off each other like a ping-pong ball. They somehow managed to resonate on a level deeper than identical twins.

Their conversation whizzed from one inane topic to another. I couldn't keep up with the pace so I defaulted to my usual method.

I ignored them.

I would leave but something told me they would stop me if I tried.

Probably would involve Ruby crying.

Damn I hate kids and their manipulative ways.

"-and that's how I ended up leaning how to dance." Jaune's long-winded story finally wound down.

"So you?"

"Yup!

"And then she-"

"That's right."

"But how could-"

"I have no idea."

They stopped contemplating that piece of wisdom.

_I have better conversations with my swords._

I rubbed my eyes, tired of their gossip. Thankfully they decided to leave the room. Before Jaune left the doorway, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Watson, pick up all the cards would you?"

With that he shut the door.

I turned to the large pile of papers.

A bag would be good right now.

* * *

I struggled to balance all the cards in my hand but I made it to the exit without any incidence.

The automatic door slid open and I was assaulted by a crowd of people. I spotted several faunus mixed in with them. Jaune was there on the footsteps waving at them. Ruby stood off to the side, stunned stupid.

"Do your detective pose!" Someone from the crowd yelled.

That opened the floodgates.

They began chanting over and over like a broken recording.

Jaune raised his arms, placating them. He grabbed his jacket, spun on the ball of his feet and pointed at the nearest girl, which in this case was Ruby.

"It was you!" He all but shouted. The crowd roared and I swore the ground shook from the force.

Ruby bobbled her mouth like a goldfish. You best get used to the attention, the media is going to hound you like vicious wolves.

I'm just glad they stopped pestering me for information. After a few 'incidents' that may or may not involved my beloved sword, they avoided me like a plague.

It's times like these that I regret taking this job.

He wasn't a public figure when I applied. More of an online phenomenon, I figured it would die down eventually.

How wrong I was.

Cases happened and it was like dropping a stone down a mountain. It built up bigger and bigger until landslides occurred. It wasn't an exaggeration to say he's more well liked than four-time Mistral champion, Pyrrha Nikos.

Yeah, the one on the cereal boxes.

The crowded parted for him as he walked by. He signed a few autographs on the way, giving the lucky victim a dazzling gleam.

It was all so fake.

I joined him by his side. Body guarding was one of my job descriptions, not like he needs it now. Anyone dumb enough attack him like this deserves to have an angry mob chasing them. Ruby tagged along with us, she was fairly overwhelmed at the reporters bugging her for an interview.

I almost stepped in but Ruby took it into stride. It seems even in front of a camera she loves yammering about her weapon.

It took more time than I liked but we arrived at the detective agency.

Jaune breathed deeply, savouring the smell of our home.

"You know Watson. I had missed this place. The rustic air, the squeaky floors and the comfy room." He flopped down loosely on a nearby sofa. "Help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen." He said to Ruby. "I'm sure there are a few cookies around."

Huh, apparently cookies warrant Ruby to run off with her semblance.

"Uh, guys? Your kitchen might need a little cleaning." Ruby's loud voice echoed down the hallway.

Did we ever clean that muck up from earlier? I was gone the whole time. Jaune obviously couldn't do it and who knows what Blake's doing.

We joined Ruby at the kitchen door.

"Oh, err I forgot to clean that." said Jaune, scratching his head. "Took some time testing that black liquid from earlier and I made quite a mess."

"Quite a mess?" I said, tone disbelieving. "This place looks like a melted cheese bomb exploded in our kitchen."

_Urgh, the stench is like gone off vomit. What the hell did Jaune even do?_

"So Watson?" said Jaune.

I could taste his tone buttering up. You better not say what I think you're going to say.

"Can you clean the kitchen up?"

"..."

I took a deep calming breath. It's not like I can refuse; I need to eat as well.

Needless to say I won't ever insult the janitor ever again.

By the end of it, my back ached and my neck was stiff. I swear daily household chores tire me out more than fights.

Jaune was in the living room, fiddling with his scroll.

"Have you seen Blake?" said Jaune.

"Not since a couple days ago. Why?"

"I tried contacting her but she hasn't responded." He frowned a little and Ruby perked up at the mention of Blake.

I shrugged. "She's probably fine. She's a big girl."

"That's not like her though. She's more punctual than that."

"Everyone has off days. If you really want to know why don't you sniff out some clues around her room. I'm sure she left something there."

He nodded quickly and we headed to her room.

"Hey wait!" Ruby dashed over to us. "Aren't you a least bit ashamed for breaking into a girls room?"

"No." I said.

I ignored Ruby's pouting.

Blake's room was dressed simply in the bare essentials. A shelf with several books, clothes and a couple of bags that haven't been unpacked yet.

"Not much to see." I said. I dropped to the floor looking under her bed.

Nothing.

"Anything on your end?" I called.

Jaune was going through some bags.

"Yeah, a few things. There's an opened bottle of hair dye and a lot of her makeup been used. She only moved in recently so everything she owns is nearly brand new. Did you see her with her hair dyed recently?"

"Not once. She doesn't strike me as the sort to wear the latest beauty products."

"Me neither." he said. "Her weapon isn't around either." His brow creased in that familiar way when he caught onto something. "Let's check the security camera."

"You have a security camera?" asked a wide eyed Ruby.

"Some people tried to break in." I said. "I even had to deal with a few. Nothing successful but they're in jail now."

They had my lovely farewell gift in the form of broken bones.

"Wooooow. Your life must be as busy as hunters."

Just the unfortunate product of knowing Jaune on a personal level. Don't worry, with the way you're heading you'll soon experience your own 'fun' adventure.

In case you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.

The back room held all the electronics for the security system. I should know; I run the damn thing. I fiddled with the knobs until the footage showed up.

"There's Blake." I pointed as she walked in. Minutes afterwards some guy with a tail popped on the screen. He paced back and forth debating whether to knock on the door or not. Apparently having lost his nerve, he took a seat on the pavement.

I fast forwarded the footage until something happened. Blake came out with dyed hair and dark skin.

"What do you think she's doing?" asked Ruby.

"I could think of a few things." murmured Jaune.

The tailed faunus and Blake conversed for a while. Unfortunately, the camera doesn't pick up audio. We stared at the screen, watching Blake get more and more frustrated. It got to the point where I thought she was going to hit him but apparently the tailed faunus said something that confused her enough to evaporate her anger.

They left together afterwards.

"What now then?" I said. From my impressions, Blake doesn't seem the sort to pick up stragglers.

Then again how long did I actually know her.

Jaune shrugged lightly. "We walk around searching for this guy. Print off his picture would you?"

I grunted. "Should take a minute. Go get ready."

He nodded in agreement and went off.

"I'm going as well!" I heard as Ruby trailed off after Jaune.

Not my problem. He could deal with her.

Once I printed off several copies of pictures I thought we needed, I joined them at the living room. Jaune was kitted out in his plainest outfit. By his side his brand new sword and shield were attached to his belt in their collapsible form. They look more like accessories from a distance.

I debated on whether to bring a different weapon but since we don't actually know if we're fighting I just brought my regular sword and a gun sheath.

Hidden of course behind my jacket. It wouldn't do to have officers pulling me over.

* * *

The walking.

The interviewing.

The gathering of evidence.

I always hated these parts of the cases.

It was the slowest most tedious process of my job. One minute we might be talking to a witness, the next we were in secretly going through their drawers looking for evidence. I always thought during those times that Jaune would be a great thief. Hell, I bet he can break into Beacon academy just by acting his usual stupid self.

It was still raining heavily despite the late afternoon. I had my umbrella out and Ruby shuffled her way in, stealing what little space there was.

"Get your own umbrella." I growled

"I don't have one on me." she whined. "Just let me budge in, I'm not that big." She pushed, knocking my umbrella to one side. The cold droplets fell on my head and I felt goosebumps travel down my neck from the cold contact.

Jaune pulled his hood up, not wanting to get wet hair and not wanting to get recognised. Nothing like annoying fans stopping you when you're in the middle of searching for a murderer.

He walked in front of us leading both Ruby and I. I don't know where we're going, but we're heading towards the busier part of town where you might travel to when you're in need of some shopping. It wasn't crowded enough that we were bunched up but we had to occasionally side step around a few pedestrians.

We stopped in front of the library.

"Blake likes to read a lot." explained Jaune. "She probably visits this place quite often."

"Thanks for answering a question I haven't asked." I shot back.

Jaune gave me that irritating all knowing smile before stepping into the library.

It should go without saying but it was quiet inside. There wouldn't be any students here yet since the school year hasn't started. Jaune looked side to side and finding nobody but us and the old lady receptionist, he sauntered over to her.

He pulled down his hood drawing the attention of the old lady. There was a stunned silence where the receptionist mouth fell open.

_Urgh, what did she even do to make her teeth look that horrid. It's like rats decided to live in her mouth._

Ruby had a disgusted look on her face as well.

"Y-you're," stuttered the old lady. Best stop hitting her with the charm Jaune; I think you might give her a heart attack.

"Sh, shhh. Hey there sweetheart. No need to make a big deal out of me." He placed a finger on her lips and she melted into a puddle of whimpers. "I'm just wondering if you've seen these people." He pulled out a picture of the tailed faunus and Blake.

The receptionist's eyes lowered to the photos and they lit up in recognition.

"Oh I know these, oh yes. That young girl there been visiting this library. Oh yes. And that boy. Hmm, yes indeed I saw him yesterday here as well."

"Great!" said Jaune. "Can you tell us more about them?"

"Well deary I could but I'm going to need a reward."

"Oh, what would you like?"

Hey smile turned predatory. "Just a small thing. Won't cost you any money deary."

"What is it?" asked Jaune slowly.

"A little smooch is all I ask."

I couldn't see Jaune's face but I could tell the cogs in his head screeching to a grinding halt.

"Uh, ma'am please." he floundered. "This isn't the time nor place."

She waved him off. "Don't be such a stickler. I'm sure you hear this all the time but I'm your biggest fan. I followed you since you caught that police officer. I even have a corner in my bedroom dedicated to you. And anyway," she leaned forward so that her mouth was next to Jaune's ear, "you need that information don't you?"

Jaune froze like a statue in ice.

I snorted.

Loudly.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at me. Jaune shot me a dark glare to which I smiled gleefully at.

"Don't mind me," I said, "carry on your lovely conversation. I won't interrupt."

Jaune drew in a shuddering breath. I could see him weighing the options. The internal warfare going on in his head would rival those of the previous war.

_If only I had a camera. Wait! My scroll!_

I hastily withdrew the device out of my pocket. Keeping it low and out of sight, I hit the record button.

He turned towards the librarian. The defeat, the resignation and the lack of will. I knew then and there he was going through with it.

"Hey don't record this!" Ruby tried snatching my scroll away.

I lifted my arms up and she helplessly jumped against me.

"I'm not recording anything." I said.

"You are! I saw you do it."

Well so much for lying.

"Fine I am. So what? Last I checked, I'm allowed to record videos."

"This isn't about that! How would you like it if you were in Jaune's position?"

"I wouldn't but then again I'm not." I readjusted my arm, holding it low enough to record clearly and high enough that Ruby couldn't reach it.

"Stop it!"

Urgh, she screeches like those Nevermores I fought.

"What is going on?" A woman's brisk voice cut us off. We both turned at once. I raised my eyebrow at her riding crop. "This is a library, I will not tolerate any loud disruptions."

"Yes ma'am," squeaked Ruby.

She nodded approvingly. "Good." Her eyes drifted to Jaune. "Jaune Arc I presume?"

"Uh, yeah that's me. I mean," he coughed twice. "Yes, that is me." Back to the persona I see.

"Your parents hired me to teach you in the basics of combat. We haven't had a lesson yet but for future reference address me as Miss Goodwitch. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch." said Jaune. A second passed before he processed what she said. "Wait, what! Already?"

"Yes already, Mr Arc. Lessons won't start until tomorrow, nine AM sharp. I will pick you up then and we will head to more suitable training grounds. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Very well. Until then Mr Arc."

Jaune's future teacher glanced at Ruby and she instinctively straightened her back.

She turned away, heading deeper into the book shelves.

Jaune stood there, frown on his face. I don't know who that was but I felt her immense power. She wasn't someone to take lightly.

And Jaune had her as his teacher.

Have fun.

"So about that smooch..."

The old lady still preened over Jaune. I titled my head curiously to the side. He had his head down, bangs covered his eyes and his was face serious in a way I haven't seen before.

"Ma'am," he said, entirely professional, "I appreciate that you hold me in such high regard but this isn't the time for it. We're on a case where lives are on the line. I don't have time for this so please just tell us what you know."

Ruby and I frowned at that. Were we even on a case? All we're doing is looking for Blake.

"Oh, oh yes excuse me." The librarian excitement died down. "Just the buzz of meeting someone famous. I suppose you are here for a very important reason, how silly of me."

He sighed wearily. "It's fine, you didn't know. Now about what you saw?"

The librarian nodded her head slightly. "I didn't see very much. The girl came first and then the boy. The boy talked to the girl over there," she pointed at some far off corner, "I couldn't hear their conversation very well but I remember the boy mentioning he was on holiday. They left together afterwards."

"What did the girl look like? Did she look upset? Happy?"

"More thoughtful. She looked like she was in the middle of some intense thinking."

"And the boy?"

"Not much to say except he seemed like a lively one."

"I see, thank you for the information."

"Oh deary it was nothing, hardly anyone listens to me for so long."

"Thank you anyway," he replied woodenly, "your information will be of great help."

We left after they said their goodbyes. The rain stopped while we were in the library so I used my shut umbrella as a walking stick. Jaune still had a storm cloud above him, literally and figuratively.

"What was that about?" Ruby stared questioningly at Jaune.

He looked up at her and for a brief second I caught onto a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

"I was just reminded of how I met Blake. I knew bad people were out there but here I was having a fan ask me for a kiss. It hit me how unfair life could be sometimes. There are thousands of people who'll trade everything to have my life. The sort of people crying, and screaming against god at what they did to deserve such a horrible empty life. They never performed any bad acts, never craved evil but they yelled from the bottom of their heart at the injustice of the world. I guess what I'm saying is that I shouldn't squander my gift like that."

Ruby cocked her head. "I don't think you're squandering your life."

He shook his head. "Maybe. The only way I'll find out is later, when I look back at what I've done. Time is funny like that. We can only look in one direction but we move in the other. I'll find out at the end of the road. Only then can I decide if I made the correct decision."

What exactly is her relationship with Jaune? He never philosophised this much. What caused him to think of all this?

"How did you meet her exactly?" I asked. "I'm sure you never brought her up before."

He rubbed his face tiredly. "It's not my story to tell. Ask Blake yourself."

So we're back to her again? With the way she hides her secrets, I doubt she'd tell me any time soon.

Ruby and I walked a few steps before noticing Jaune lagging behind.

He had his scroll in his hand.

"Oh, thank god. Blake is calling."

He had a smile on his face when he answered the call.

It slipped away moments later.

"We're going to the hospital." he announced.

"Huh? Why?" asked Ruby.

"Blake, she's injured."

* * *

I had been in the hospital far too many times lately. Once had been enough but returning this often said something was off about my lifestyle.

We were waiting outside a hospital room. Jaune was pacing away his pent up energy and Ruby was nervously looking between Jaune and I.

If she's looking for reassurance, she won't get it from me.

"Jaune, sit the hell down. Pacing like that won't do anything."

"I know, I _know, _but so many things can go wrong depending on what happened to her. If they did this then she's, no we're all in trouble."

_Just who is this Blake girl?_

"Who called you anyway?" asked Ruby.

"The hospital. Apparently some hunters who were patrolling found her in the river. They did what they can to resuscitate her and bought her back. Once she stabilised, they called the first number on her scroll."

Before I could comment, a woman dressed in a doctor uniform came out of the room Blake was in.

"Mr Arc, she's ready to meet you." said the doctor. Ruby and Jaune let out a collective breath. "But there are some things I must caution you on. She had just awoken and is still adjusting. On top of that, she came out of surgery. Don't push her too hard and if anything goes wrong at all, press the emergency button. Do nothing else that may aggravate her condition."

We nodded and we let ourselves in.

It was like Jaune in the hospital room again. Blake was staring out the window like she was waiting for the Sun to rise. Her feline ears twitched when we entered and she turned her gaze at us with her piercing gold eyes.

"Hey Blake," said Ruby, "you feeling OK? Being in the hospital is a pain but don't worry, you'll be out in no time." She smiled sincerely.

Jaune hummed in agreement.

"That's right. I mean I got burned pretty badly and was pretty much strapped down to the bed. Look at me now, not a scratch on me. Before you know it, you'll be back at the agency."

Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

Blake stared at us all.

Her voice came out like cracked glass.

"Who are you all?"

* * *

**AN: Took longer than usual as I had to get back in the mind frame of Adam again. **You know, sometimes I feel like I'm writing for a television series when I write this.****


	11. Lost Cat II

**Chapter 11**

There was a moment where everyone in the room forgot to breath. An unnatural stillness crept over us.

_That burnt away any good atmosphere._

Ruby looked like she was slapped. Jaune eyes widened to the size of saucers. For my part I stood stock still, silent.

"Y-you're joking right?" stuttered Ruby. "C'mon Blake, don't joke like that, it's not funny."

Blake didn't respond.

"Blake come on, talk." Ruby nudged Blake's shoulders. "I know you can be quiet sometimes but don't be like this. Don't just sit there."

"I'm sorry."

Blake couldn't meet Ruby's eyes.

I spotted tears welling up and Ruby hastily tried to wipe them away with her sleeves.

"Blake, look I'm really sorry to ask you this but what do you remember?" Jaune's hard tone made me jump.

She shook her head glumly. "I don't remember anything. It's all blank. I didn't even know my name." She searched deeper into Jaune's eyes. I could see him agonise every second that passed.

I won't say I felt bad. I've only known her for a short period, but to see her like this. Lost, alone and without an identity.

I pitied her.

"They found you in the river, beat up and unconscious." I said once Ruby calmed somewhat down. "Ring any bells?"

"Nothing," she said. Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more. My mind is just an empty haze; I have the feeling something important is there like an echo of a memory, but every time I chase it, it vanishes."

We all looked each other. That wasn't reassuring at all.

"Ruby," called Jaune, "stay with Blake for a bit would you? Maybe talk a bit to jog her memories?"

"Yeah," she said slowly, "good idea."

Jaune left the room and I followed him, curious at what he was planning. His face was set in stone and I knew he was going to pull out the big guns.

He had his scroll out, and dialled a very familiar name.

"Hello, Mr Schnee? It's Jaune here. Sorry for the sudden call but I need to ask a favour."

Some unintelligible words responded and he murmured something back.

"Yes, I'll need an airship, some security drones..."

He went on to list other things. He called a few other VIPs like the head of the police department and Vale's hunter squads, informing them of our mission.

It might be because half the time Jaune acts like an idiot, but sometimes I forget the amount of pull he has. Military, hunters, research, police, you name it, he's involved in it,

Except politics.

Jaune hates the stuff apparently. Don't blame him, dealing with the Vale's council on a regular basis is at best a chore.

Once finished, he shut his scroll with a snap.

"We'll be leaving in 30 minutes. Make sure you're ready."

We headed back in, Ruby was in the middle of a one-sided conversation. Blake politely listened to every word but I can tell she was being slightly overwhelmed.

"Hey guys!" Ruby smiled at our entrance. "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere special." I replied. "But we'll be leaving in around 30 minutes." I grabbed a nearby chair. "Any progress?"

"Uh, maybe? How about now Blake? Anything at all?"

Blake shook her head. "Same as before," she smiled slightly, "but I could see how we became friends with each other."

Ruby lightly blushed. "Eheh, I didn't think we would be friends at first. You were sorta closed off and I thought you didn't like me that much. But one day you brought in a book to read. It was a fairytale about a hero fighting off a dragon. We talked a little about it and we just got on from there. Oh!" She twisted toward Jaune. "We should fetch her some books. She's going to need to do something pass the time."

"Good idea. Adam?"

"Got it." I left the room at a sedate pace. No need to rush, Jaune and Ruby will keep her entertained.

It took about 10 minutes of fast walking to reach the detective agency.

I grabbed whatever books were on her shelf. On a whim I flipped through some of them.

_Are all these trashy romance novels? I expected Blake to have better taste._

I paused, considering whether an amnesic girl would appreciate receiving books about cliché love plots.

_I'll throw in some of my more interesting books._

I'm not an avid reader but I have a small collection stashed in my room. It's been a long time since I last opened them but I found them in a box under my bed. They were crooked and older than dirt but still legible.

After, I grabbed a few extra dust embedded swords and stored them in my bag.

By the time I arrived back, everyone was engaged in conversation. Even amnesic, Blake smiled at the animated talks. I slunk in quietly, avoiding drawing too much attention—I didn't want to disturb the good ambience.

They greeted me warmly and I dropped the pile of books on a nearby table.

"Miss anything?" I asked as I sat.

"Not much," replied Jaune, "just filling in Blake on any details."

"Have you mentioned how you two met?" I am still curious as to how that went down.

Jaune grimaced. "Maybe later when the situation is better." He quickly glanced at his scroll. "We should get moving. Blake, Ruby, Adam and I have to leave now, but we'll be back as soon as we can."

"What are you guys doing anyway?" asked a blinking Ruby.

"Something popped up. Adam and I have to take care of it. Don't worry, it's really boring work." He smiled at them.

"Thank you for spending time with me," said Blake, nodding slightly. "It must be troubling to see someone familiar to you gone."

"Hey don't sweat the details." Jaune hastily affirmed. "It's like a second first impression anyway. Our first meeting wasn't nearly as nice."

She paused, chewing her lips. "I'm not sure whether this is a memory or I'm just falsifying ideas but every time I look at the Sun, a deep sorrow rises within me." She shook her head. "Maybe I just dislike the bright lights."

"Do you want the curtains drawn?" I offered.

"No thank you. I think I prefer to feel something that's from my past than to remain clueless. Even if it's only pain."

I nodded, respecting her decision.

We left with our final farewells.

We didn't make it to the end of the hallway before Ruby pounced on us.

"Where are you guys _really _going? It isn't anything to do with Blake is it?" She put her hands on her hips and stared meaningfully at us.

If she's trying to act intimidating she's doing a horrible job of it.

"R-ruby, what do you mean? We're just headed off to do some work. Yup."

I take it back, if she's trying to intimidate Jaune specifically, she's doing magnificently.

"You're going after the bad guys that did this to Blake aren't you!" she accused. "Let me help, Blake is my friend too and I want to stop the criminal that did this to her."

Right on the ball. The way she inserts herself into our dilemmas was rather outstanding. First crashing through the White Fang base then invading my room and now confronting Jaune. If I didn't know any better I would say she's trying to infiltrate our group.

But that's ridiculous, a fifteen year old girl who can't socialise beyond her small little world?

As if a naïve girl could pull off such a thing, especially against me and Jaune.

Completely implausible.

"I already told you-" began Jaune.

"I'm just going to follow you guys so don't bother trying to convince me. You can't outrun me and you can't hide so just let me on board."

Jaune ran his hand through his hair, sighing while doing so. I stood in the background; it was always enjoyable watching Jaune struggle.

Unless my life is at stake.

Or his.

"Ruby listen, the people we're dealing with aren't just anyone. Blake is a strong fighter, do you know what she must had went through to be put in that condition? The people who likely did this is an _organisation_. It's not just one or two people but a whole group." Ruby was about to reply but Jaune cut her off. "I know that you've tracked down some of their bases but that doesn't mean you should always involve yourself. You're fifteen years old, you still got an amazing future ahead of you."

"My age doesn't matter does it?" Ruby shot back. "You're 17 and you've been on loads of cases where you might get hurt. And I'm strong as well! Adam seen me fight, I easily took down some white fang members. You're not going to stop me Jaune. The world will be a hundred times better if we win and heroes like us are needed. I can't back out now! Not when we finally have a lead on them."

Jaune groaned, frustrated at her stubborn attitude. "Why won't you let me protect you?"

"Why won't you let me help out?"

They glared down each other or well Jaune glared down and Ruby glared up.

"Just let her help." I said.

If she's that insistent then why bother stopping her? This way at least we won't get blindsided by her presence.

They both simultaneously turned to me and while Ruby had a grateful smile on her face, Jaune stared at me vaguely betrayed. I shifted my weight, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his wounded gaze.

"Adam, you know this isn't a good idea."

"Finally using my real name?" I tilted my head to the side. "About time, it only took you 5 months."

"This is serious!" He clamped his foot hard against the floor. "We don't need to risk her life like this. Blake was enough already."

Ruby pursed her lips tightly but remained silent.

"And what about you? I can take someone in a fight but you? You're worse than Ruby—a lot worse—the only reason you're not dead yet is because I'm there to save your ass."

"I'm aware of that but this isn't about me, this is about her. I can take the pain if it's just me but I won't be able to live peacefully if I let someone else get hurt."

That statement bothered more than I liked to admit.

"Rather selfish of you to say." I said.

He took a step back as if I struck him.

"What?" he said, half confused, half angry.

"You heard me." I replied hotly. "You're only considering your own feelings in this. Not Ruby's. You're afraid to let someone else down. You're afraid to trust those around you. You think I haven't noticed? That I'm the only guy working for you? As you are now, you can hire boatloads of people but you don't. You know why? You don't want others around you because you're scared to the bone of them. Afraid that you won't live up to their idealised image. You're a coward Jaune. Nothing but a huge, empty shallow coward."

Shit, hell, damn, why did I say all that? Fuck, I know he's thinking for Ruby's safety but once I started I couldn't stop. It's like fighting a hurricane, I was just swept away by my words.

His face whitened faster than what should be healthy and I berated myself for voicing my treacherous thoughts. We stood silently regarding each other apprehensively. Only the daily hospital noise filled the vacant background.

Ruby looked between us shocked. A sudden mood change would do that.

"Do you know about my first case?"

My mind halted at the question. His previous cases haven't even crossed my mind since I joined the agency.

"Yeah, you got this high up officer arrested."

He slouched as if a boulder was placed on his back. "He was my dad's best friend. One of the few people that's still alive from his generation. He used to come over to our house and play games with me and my sisters. I used to admire him. He was friendly, proud, powerful and above all that, he loved the people around him. I wanted to be like him. He was a hero just like dad."

He rubbed his eyes and I pointedly ignored the wetness of his cheeks.

"But I sent him to jail. He murdered someone. Great officer Benedict murdered someone. My hero shattered just like that. How do you think it feels to find out someone close to you murdered someone? Should I have ignored it? Confronted him about it?"

He shook his head wildly and I felt a stab of pain in my heart.

"I don't know! I just don't know!" he said, frustration clear in his voice. "The media might call me as this 'great detective' but but." He sighed deeply. "I frightened because if I mess up then someone dear to me will get hurt. I wanted to be a hero. To hunt down the monsters but I was never good enough. I have dreams of being a hunter but I know I have too much to do, too many responsibilities. People depend on me and I don't want to bring others in. I'm tired I guess. Tired of the never ending cases. Tired of dealing with more people. I don't want others to get involved. Not when the world is just beginning."

"I never knew." Despite knowing him for a few months, he never uttered a single complaint. I just thought he operated like a cold machine.

"I didn't want to say it. There's just some stuff I don't want to look into. Heck, I haven't even looked back at the case files for my first case. I'm afraid to. I still don't even know the name of the victim. I just... tuned everything out." He let out a wheezy cough that belonged more to an old man. "So now you know why I don't employ more people. I don't want to deal with them. I guess I am a coward."

"..."

We didn't know what to say after that. Some dirty laundry just got aired and no one wants to speak in the stink of it all. It didn't feel right to just spill out all those thoughts in the hospital. A hospital supposed to heal you, not open up old wounds.

"Adam. Jaune. Are you both OK?" Ruby's timid voice chased away the silence.

I gave her a wry grin. "Does it look like we're OK."

"No, but I don't want you two to fight. I don't want see any more of my friends hurt."

_Since when were we friends?_

I shook away the thought, whatever makes her happy.

"I hate my job. I hate the fact Jaune bosses me around. I hate that the public buys into his façade. I hate how he always lands me in trouble. I especially hate him always calling me Watson."

Jaune swallowed deeply. "If you want to qui-"

I carried on, overriding what Jaune was about to say.

"But it'll take more than that for me to quit. If I really did think that all this job was then I would had left months ago." I licked my dry lips. I never liked admitting how I really felt but right now Jaune needs the support. "Listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once and only once."

I took a deep calm breath. Never did I think these words will cross my lips.

"I enjoy our adventures."

Ruby and Jaune blinked in unison.

"I enjoy that we go out and fight crime. I enjoy meeting new diverse people. I enjoy that we're actually working towards a better future." I sighed, letting my chest deflate. "And I enjoy the time we spend together."

I don't like to admit it but Jaune has my trust.

Another silence descended. We should stop doing that; it's getting irritating.

"Well after that I kinda feel the need to speak some great revelation," said Ruby, grinning. "Ooh! I know. How about this!" She raised a finger. Her eyes shifted over us and she frowned.

Seconds passed and the anticipation built up, even Jaune looked intrigued.

Just as I was contemplating asking her to hurry up, she spoke.

"Everyone thinks my favourite snack is cookies _but_ I actually prefer strawberries!"

I couldn't help but smack my face.

"That was the worst revelation I ever heard," I said, "and I heard dreadful ones from the criminals we put down."

She pouted and I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway uh Jaune," she coughed, clearing her throat, "I get why you don't want me to go, I really do! And uh I appreciate you looking out for me but I'm set on this."

Jaune bit back a grimace but he nodded. "All right. I'll trust you on this. The second you think you're in danger though, run off. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Yeah, I know. My sis always tells me that as well."

* * *

The Schnee main headquarters was situated in Atlas, but they had several branches in Vale. We hailed a taxi and headed to one of the larger ones. A moustached driver greeted us and did a double take when he saw Jaune. Naturally we had to go through the whole song and dance with meeting another fan. Thankfully, this driver was more conservative and actually focused on driving us there.

Jaune thanked him with a large tip.

He broke down from his generosity, crying waterfalls. It mixed in with his facial hair, and I winced at the horrible image.

Memory suppressed, I got out with Ruby in tow.

It was a short walk to the company doors. A guard stood there feet together and saluted Jaune as we walked passed.

"A person will be with you shortly sir." said the guard.

Jaune respectively nodded and thanked him. Ruby followed Jaune awkwardly. I don't blame her, we were just casually meandering into one of the most powerful companies in Remnant.

The door slid open automatically and the artificially warmed air wrapped around us. A few people dotted about but for the most part it was empty. Looking out the large windows, some hangers were opened and I spotted various Bullheads being tinkered by engineers. In the distance, several helipads were being occupied by the newest aircraft in the market—the White Whale.

Working together with military leader General Ironwood, the Schnee company developed the latest aviation technology. The White Whale was unveiled and immediately was a hit. Large, powerful and mobile, every Kingdom had thousands of them on call.

We sat down on sofas that must had cost a fortune and drank the glass of water they provided. I didn't even finish my first sip before the sound of heels on marble caught my attention. A woman in a business suit approached us with a professional grace.

"Mr Arc," she shook his hands, "and associates." She gestured to us. "Welcome to the Schnee Dust Company. My name is Samantha and I will lead you to your destination. Stay close to me at all times, it is very easy to lose your sense of direction here."

I idly wondered why before I realised that with the White Fang targeting their business, they would up their defences.

After an absurd amount of turns and several lifts we finally reached a hanger. It was dark but I easily saw the massive White Whale in front of us.

Samantha flipped a switch and powerful lights shined the room.

Ruby and Jaune gasped.

Samantha smiled at their reactions.

"This" she said as raised her arm, "is the White Whale. Funded by the Schnee Company and built by experts from Atlas. It stands as a beacon of mankind's technology. As you requested, Mr Arc, you will be handed this airship. Pilots, crew members and security drones will naturally be included."

Jaune gaped long enough for drool to come out. Way to sell the image of a competent detective Jaune. "I did not expect to be handed over something on this scale. I must say it's flattering."

"Mr Schnee's generosity is only matched by his wealth. The crew members should be ready soon. In the mean time do you have any questions?"

While Jaune busied himself conversing with Samantha, Ruby sided up to me.

"Hey, psst Adam." whispered Ruby.

"What?"

"Do you think they'll let me take some pictures?"

I shrugged. "I don't see why not. Go crazy."

She squealed girlishly and pulled out her scroll.

I honestly don't see the point in taking pictures of an airship. If you want some just go look online.

Ruby had her scroll out, preparing to take a picture of herself. She posed with a stupid grin and two fingers.

"If you need me to take the picture, you can just ask." I said.

"And miss out on a selfie? No way."

"What the hell is a selfie?"

She raised her eyebrows and I had a distinct feeling that she was judging me.

"You're insulting me in your head aren't you."

"Wha-," she turned beet red, embarrassed at getting caught. She's easier to read than a book. "No I'm not! I just think you're just a bit out of touch with society."

_Coming from the girl who talks to her weapon more than me._

"Fine whatever." I said. "I bet it isn't important anyway."

I'm still going to check what it means later on.

In my privacy.

As far away from Ruby as I can.

It was a short wait but the appropriate people arrived. The airship was loaded and with a grumble, it soared into the air.

Some people would find it exciting exploring the world outside their Kingdom.

I'm not those kind of people. In fact I'm actually really bored.

Jaune looked greener than grass but he held his stomach in and coördinated our destination. He was talking to some expert about the river current. Something about tides and predicting where Blake fell in. He seemed busy enough that I didn't want to bother him.

Ruby meanwhile thought this was a holiday and had her head on the glass window.

"Adam, look at the sights! Look, look! You can see Beacon from here!" She hopped on the spot and pointed.

Beacon Academy stood tall in all its glory. Crisp cliffs and luscious waterfalls. It stands as the hope for the newest generation.

"Meh, I've seen better."

"Aww," she whined, "you're no fun."

My definition of fun isn't pointing at buildings.

Vale eventually left our view and we both sat down on some seats. Some time passed as I played a few apps with Ruby on my scroll.

"And that's ten wins to me," said Ruby, grinning. "Wow Adam, you're not very good at this are you."

"Unlike you, I have actual important things to do. I don't have time to knock down bricks with wingless birds."

"Pfft, excuses. You just don't want to admit you're bad." She stuck her tongue out and I felt a vein pop out my forehead.

_Why do I get all the irritating people. Am I cursed? Did I anger some God in my past life?_

_Nah, my life just sucks._

The shipped rumbled once more and I saw Jaune dash for the toilets.

Sucks to be him.

My losing streak continued against Ruby. We switched games, I was tired of predicting flight paths for virtual birds. Before I knew it, I threw my scroll against the window. It clattered hard and Ruby yelled at me for cheating.

My scroll was obviously rigged. No way could I lose when the gameplay consisted of slicing fruit.

Of course, I bent down and checked its screen. Scrolls are expensive.

I left Ruby to her devices and entered the main control room. Jaune returned looking about as bad before. He stumbled over to a seat and glanced at the pilot.

"Anything on the report?"

"Nothing so far. Just the occasional Grimm." said the pilot.

"Good. I'll keep watch as well."

I heard some people subject themselves to poison to develop an immunity to it.

That doesn't work for air sickness.

"Burgh, urg, uwurp."

"Jaune get the hell back in. The last thing I want to see you throw up." I pulled his arm but he resisted me.

"Can't. Got to do this." he gurgled out.

"Screw it. Stay here then."

I began turning away.

His scream of surprise had me jumping back.

"What is it?!" I said. I darted my eyes across the forest below.

"Over there," he pointed at the metal wreckage. "There's a bullhead, well what remains of it anyway."

On the cliff, I spotted an old bullhead.

"Somehow I get the feeling it shouldn't be there." I said.

"Let's head down," said Jaune. "I'll send some scouting drones first."

Several Atlesian Knights dropped down and efficiently secured the perimeter.

After confirming the safety, we jumped heavily onto the ground. Ruby and I did at least. Jaune and some others took the stairs.

I gave the bullhead a once over. It was a complete mess, scorch marks painted the metal skin black and a large hole ran through the engine. I peered in the hole and I could see the clear blue skies.

The door was still hanging open and Jaune went inside.

Inside was ransacked. Not a trace of anything except...

"Blake's bow." cried Ruby. It was hidden under the seat and Ruby had to stretch to reach it.

"Well we definitely know that Blake was here." said Jaune. "Not that it's a good thing, we're pretty far from civilisation."

"She must have had a good reason to go here. She's not stupid enough to wander about in the wild."

"Yeah! There must be something really important around here. What is actually out here anyway? All I see are way too many plants." She brushed away some leaves that got on her skirt.

"Good question. There isn't actually much here." replied Jaune. "The map guy said there were some natural rock cliffs but not enough to offer protection from wild Grimm. People thought they did so they built Mountain Glenn but it didn't work out." He craned his neck, looking at the tress below. "I think we should head to Mountain Glenn next. There might be some clues there."

We climbed back on board the airship. Ruby ran ahead giving us a moment of privacy.

"You never did say why Blake might be here." I said, staring pointedly at him.

Jaune grimaced. He didn't think I would drop the issue did he? "Caught on to that eh? I was hoping you didn't."

"Keeping secrets now of all times is not what I want to hear."

He sighed and I folded my arms. A few moments passed where Jaune gathered his thoughts.

"If you know about Blake's history then there would be only one reason why she would go out all the way out here. The White Fang."

I cocked my head to the side. It seemed lately that name gets thrown around like it's a new buzz word.

"So what, is she out to get them as well? Did they hurt her or something?"

"I'm not going into her past now. Just don't mention Blake's name in front of them. Oh and tell that to Ruby as well."

Jaune informed the forensic team down with the Bullhead of the updated plans. After some deliberation with some on board hunters they decided that they would split, leaving some hunters to guard them. It would take some time for them to complete their job. Instead of waiting for them though we told them we would be back in a few hours.

I got back in my seat waiting for us to set off.

Soon we left for Mountain Glenn.

* * *

**AN: So yeah, stuff happens. White Whale was coined by rgm0005, I'm merely borrowing its name. Moving onto RWBY, have you heard the new songs? They're absolutely fantastic. My favourite has to be Die and Caffeine, just listening to them has my blood pumping faster than a workout. **


	12. Lost Cat III

**Chapter 12**

As the name implies, the White Whale was big. We would never be able to land directly in Mountain Glenn—not without breaking a few buildings along the way. Instead we dropped down on a nearby clearing. We had to rid them of several Grimm first but nothing a few slashes couldn't fix.

It's good being the one in control for once. Lately I've been thrown down the deep end far too many times forcing me to think on my feet. I never liked improvising on the spot, it just meant that you were unprepared for what's ahead.

Several hunters stayed behind to guard the airship. I didn't have a chance to talk with many hunters but most of them were equipped with gaudy weapons. Generally a good thing. The more flamboyant and elaborate their weapon, the better they probably are at fighting.

That's what I told myself anyway. I didn't want to comprehend the insanity of someone thinking a gun yo-yo—or as I like to call gun-yo—was a good idea.

There wasn't any proper pathway leading to Mountain Glenn. Any that did exist would had been ruined by lurking Grimm or the untamed wilderness. What might have been roads were now gripped in nature's claws.

Essentially there were too many damn plants.

"Careful of the vegetation." I warned. "Some could be dangerous." With a hell hole like Remnant, I wouldn't be surprised to see plants that could eat people.

We had to create a route ourselves, forging a path through the heavy foliage.

Jaune and Ruby were waiting idly as our group slashed our way forward. They weren't suited for this kind of labour, Jaune having absolutely pathetic stamina and Ruby being too short to cut down the higher vegetation.

"So," the young looking hunter next to me said. I vaguely recalled his name as Es. He feigned disinterest but I could tell he was holding a burning question back. "What's it like working for Mr Arc? Is it fun? I bet it's fun. Back when I was in school, there was a police detective we could shadow but I thought it was boring and picked some other rubbish job. Man, talk about lost opportunity." He spat out his words as fast as a gatling gun. "I'm working part time at some other detective agency later on. Got any tips?"

After Jaune became a hit with the public, a surplus of private eyes cropped up. They all ranged from tolerable to terrible.

Mostly terrible.

What those fools didn't understand was that being a detective was nearly 99% paperwork and 1% investigation. There aren't adventures calling for them like a telephone and more than likely they'll end up shutting down their agency with their wallets crying from its empty stomach.

So why is Jaune successful?

Simple.

He has a public image.

The world listens to him like a child looking for praise from his parents. They've seen him out and about doing what he can to help people. The public talks and it just propels his reputation. The other detectives never had that. An advertisement in the Vale's newspaper isn't going to draw any celebrity in. Jaune is just an outlier with his freaky 'draw me into news making cases aura'. I actually considered that he had a semblance that messed with reality like some horrid game and asked him about it some time ago.

His reply to it was that he didn't have his aura activated so he doesn't have a semblance.

He withered under my stare. I couldn't believe we went through all those cases without his aura unlocked. I always assumed he already activated it.

Apparently, he hadn't had the time to get someone to unlock it.

I activated his aura right then and there.

It was one of the few moments where Jaune was truly being stupid.

I shook my head, bringing myself out of my memories. The kid was still there, right he was still waiting on me "Yeah, I got advice for you kid."

He looked up eagerly like an excited puppy.

"Quit."

I left him with his face gobsmacked.

He doesn't know it but I just saved him a lot of grief.

That hunter never approached me again and a mindless routine settled into me. We reached the end of the foliage with little else happening. Below me, Mountain Glenn was in view. Toppled buildings, demolished roads, it was what you expect from an abandoned city. The others joined me and exclamations of surprise rang across our group. I don't see what they're surprised about, we all knew we were heading here.

After a preliminary scan of the surroundings, the hunter squad leader stepped up and called for our attention. His loud voice cut out all conversation.

"I'm sure everyone knows the tragedy that is Mountain Glenn so I won't repeat any details." He met each of our gazes, an undertone of steel behind it. "What we must focus on now is our mission. The White Fang has been terrorising the good citizens of Vale for what amounts to petty reasons."

I raised an eyebrow but I didn't voice my thoughts.

"I do not need to list all their crimes for us to know that we are dealing with a dangerous group. Remember our primary objective is to subdue any White Fang members. Top priority is Roman Torchwick." His scroll expanded revealing Torchwick's mug shot. "However if there truly are no other options then you have permission to use lethal force. Should we not discover the White Fang's hideout then our secondary objective is to scout out and assess Mountain Glenn."

The squad leader turned to Ruby. "As you are still a hunter in training, you will be partnered with one of the veterans. Stay with them at all times."

Ruby nodded.

It might be odd that they're letting Ruby come along—to a civilian—but to hunters age was never much of a factor, only their prowess in combat. Hunters always needed to be replaced and the sooner the better. I once heard of a prodigious 16 year old graduating from Beacon Academy. The news team made a huge deal about it and the kid became a role model for the younger generation. It honestly creeped me out how many fell for his campaign, disillusioning the younger audiences as a proud and honourable member of a hunter squad when the reality is that you're likely to die early or live long enough to be a bitter prune. Now what was his semblance? I remember it being absurdity powerful.

_It was something to do with directions. Vector control maybe?_

Whatever it was it wasn't important now.

The squad leader faced Jaune next. "Mr Arc, I understand that you want to investigate the area. As you have no combat experience I will assign several hunters with you."

"That is fine. I was hoping I did not need to fight."

The hunter leader grunted in response. "All of you have a radio to contact each other. You can specify who you want to call with this dial here," he demonstrated by calling the hunter next to him. "If it's an emergency, then the button here will alert everyone to your location. If you need to contact everyone, then push this button here. Do _not s_hout into the microphone. They are sensitive and strictly for passing on information. No tomfoolery will go unpunished."

We each agreed. No one wants a deafened ear.

"Very well, split into your assigned teams."

Our team comprised of 5 people including me and Jaune. They introduced themselves as Es, Dee and Hew. We went over our abilities quickly. Es, the young kid from earlier, was a support type, focusing in healing. Dee was a defensive specialist, she could form nearly unbreakable shields at the cost of losing mobility. The last member, Hew, wielded a chainsaw. He was a man of few words, tall and his face set in a permanent scowl. Apparently his semblance lets him harden metal.

And yes, the chainsaw was also gun.

No I don't know how it works.

Other teams were starting to leave now. I spotted Ruby being escorted by a tall man with the gun-yo, presumably the veteran.

Ruby threw us a last glance before departing with her partner.

She should be fine. Veterans could take out a Goliath by themselves.

So why am I so worried?

_C'mon Adam, shake it off. Don't be a hypocrite now._

That's right, I said earlier that she should have her chance and I'm not backing out of it now.

We were the last team to leave the clearing. Our teammates talked amongst themselves, considering contingencies. I contributed when I could, forming the threads of a plan.

By the time we reached what would be the town centre, we paused for a break.

On a impulse I triggered my aura detection.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

_Like ants in a nest._

"Adam?" Jaune curiously stared at me. "What is it? Do you sense something?"

"Below."

"What?"

"Below us. There's people below us."

A lot of people. Enough signatures that I couldn't count all of them. This is like that escort mission all over again.

"Underground should be sealed," said Es. He frowned at the obvious contradiction.

"They obviously _unsealed _it." I answered.

"Adam, basic run down." said Jaune.

"Large numbers, probably over 200. All aura trained. They're evenly spread out underground. It's hard to tell what's happening but I think they're moving equipment around."

"Let's inform the others then."

We relayed our information across. The other teams responded and we set about finding an entrance.

Before we discovered anything, our radios cackled again. Ruby's voice came out muffled but I recognized it all the same.

"Guys. We found an entrance underground. I think that's where they're hidden."

"Don't go in yet." I called. "Wait for us."

"Hurry up then!"

My radio shut with a click. Ruby must have pushed the button alerting her location because her name popped up on the display.

We raced our way over, my eyes never straying off the screen.

The radio squealed and sounds of gunfire were heard on the other side. Ruby's voice cried out before the sound abruptly cut off.

_Shit, not good._

"Where's the closest entrance?" someone asked. I didn't take the time to place the voice.

"Down." I answered. I pulled out my fire dust embedded sword, careful to not disturb the dust crystals in the bag. I gave it an experimental swing and satisfied at its quality, I began to gather power. It's not often I use dust, usually I stick with my energy absorbent sword. Too many times I run into people who shoot energy beams. They might think it's 'cool' but when I tank their blasts and cut them down they probably regretted their decision.

The others stood back, watching as fire danced around me. The superheated air ruffled my hair and once the rush of power reached its peak, I jammed my sword into the ground. Cracks exploded across the tarmac before disintegrating into rubble. The ground gave way and we dropped fast and hard. Jaune screamed like a girl and was carried bridal style by the support hunter. I had to admit, it was an amusing sight. Weightlessness took over my senses before I reinforced my legs in preparation of landing. My body rolled quickly, dissipating the built up force.

Instantly a clarity took over my eyes. It would be dark for Jaune and the others but to me it was as if the room was filled with searchlights.

Armed members of the White Fang burst through the door. They aimed their guns and let loose their bullets. A glowing green force field interrupted their path, bullets sparking where they hit. The defensive hunter Dee, had her arms up, presumably maintaining the shield. Unfortunately the shield works both ways, while they couldn't hit us, we couldn't hit them.

Not like that would stop me.

I left the safety of the shield, twirling around the bullets. My sharp reflexes kept me safe and I closed in the distance. I slashed my sword into the gut one of them and they gurgled painfully before fainting. I didn't take the time to enjoy the satisfaction as more members poured through the doorway.

No time to think. I reached into my bag with my free arm, pulling out a random sword.

Ice.

It will do.

I swung my sword, sending aura down the blade and the ice embedded dust triggered. Jagged spikes charged at the doorway and the grunts hastily jumped to the side.

My team mates would need time to adjust their vision to the darkness. Time we didn't have. Some light should do the trick.

My flame sword burnt through the ice, vaporising it and cooking the ones unlucky enough to get hit by the steam. The fire lit up the area long enough for Hew to swing his running chainsaw through the wall.

The wall tore like paper and a gap large enough for us to fit through opened. We jumped through the opening, Dee covering us with her shields.

I shook away the plaster that stuck to me, wiping away the crumbs on my suit. Jaune looked about as normal albeit more tired. The others, while breathing heavily, was more due to the excitement than any real exertion. Dee was using her power again, blocking the entry we made before.

We landed in what looked like a basement. The dimly lit blue light clashed against the green glimmering glow from Dee's shield. It weaved together illuminating the room in a bizarre mix of cyan shadows. Old wooden chairs were placed along the wall and drops of water echoed across the room. The air tasted damp and the stench of iron crept up my senses.

On the other side, where the light couldn't reach, metal bars like ones you find in dungeons divided the room.

Shadows obscured the boy who slumped limply.

"Fuck me." The healer let out.

I couldn't agree more.

The boy was more purple than tanned. I spotted what looked to be a tail and it was with dread that I recognised him as the same faunus boy Blake was with earlier. A pool of red liquid was under him and I'm sure there were punctures where spikes were driven into him.

"Es, heal him now!" Jaune voice prompted Es to dash up to him. He struggled with the bars before I cut them down to pieces.

He placed a hand on him. "Man oh man," cried Es, "he's still alive. We need to get him to a hospital. I can't heal all his injuries!"

"Do what you can." said Jaune.

"We're going to need to take him out." I said. "Es you go with him, Jaune you're not going to be of use here. Go with Dee, defend them while they leave."

They each agreed with my plan. Dee's shield shimmered and reshaped into steps. Hew, revved up his chainsaw and flared his aura scaring away the lingering White Fang members. I climbed up, pulling out my fire dust sword.

"Prepare yourselves." I warned.

The roof shattered as explosions rocked the room. Light poured in the hollow gap. Jaune and Es who was lifting his patient, ran up the improvised stairs. Once safely at the top, Dee leapt through the hole.

"Good luck!" she said as she left.

I never believed in luck. All I needed was my skills.

I turned to the remaining occupant. Hew was shaking the debris out of his chainsaw.

"Just you and me." I said. He grunted in response.

I peeked out the doorway, turning my head left and right. No one was there and we moved silently across the hall. It was oddly quiet for a supposedly secret base. I expected to be overrun by dozens of members but there wasn't a soul in sight.

I frowned and I triggered my aura detection. Concrete didn't impede my aura and it swept outwards. I skidded to a halt and Hew, noticing I wasn't by his side any more stopped.

"The aura signatures are almost all gone. Whatever happened, they must had left quickly." I titled my head at a group of auras I familiarised myself with earlier. Ruby's aura was still present, weaker than normal. Her partner's however while recognisable, was infected maybe? A sickly tendril of something was there in his system, redirecting his aura against him. It travelled upwards before settling in his brain. It's as if thorns had dug their way deep into his core.

It wasn't just him, large groups of people had their aura infected.

And they were all on our side.

Somewhere in the corner of my senses, a hazy aura tickled the peripheral edge of my range.

_Something about it feels familiar. When had I sensed an aura as vague as this?_

_For now I'll ignore it I'll meet up with Ruby first._

"Hew! Follow my lead."

My aura senses kept me alert on their condition and I realised with an acute sense of anxiety that whatever infected Ruby's partner was getting worse.

It wasn't long before we ran into a White Fang member. A giant of a man wearing a unique mask stood in front of us blocking the door. He brought his arms up revving his chainsaw.

In response, Hew bought up his own chainsaw and revved harder.

A second passed where they compared their chainsaws.

_We don't have time for this._

At my distance I could sense the poison of the invading aura. Whatever it was doing it wouldn't be good.

Before I could draw my sword Hew lifted his arm. He didn't say a word but I got his message.

I dashed forwards, aiming at the gap. Hew followed behind swinging his chainsaw like a mad man. Chainsaws clashed and sparks exploded on contact. Hew booted him in the shin, forcing his opponent to leave an opening. I jumped through, head ducking under his chainsaw.

I didn't see what happened when I left but I heard the clash of metal on metal.

Sounds of explosions reached me and I hastened my approach. I passed a corner and there on the far side of the cavern, Ruby was barely dodging blasts from her partner.

_What the?_

Ruby skimmed away from the blast but was thrown aside by the shock wave.

The veteran kept firing explosions from his hands and the cavern rocked from the force.

"What the hell are you doing?" My scream didn't get a response from him.

I charged at him with my sword.

That got his attention.

I blocked the incoming blow and attacked him with my sword. He jumped backwards and landed a few paces away.

That infection has all but consumed the veteran's aura. It was impossible to discern which originally belonged to his.

Even now the bells in my mind shook alarmingly. I know I sensed something similar before but where?

I wanted a minute to sit down and calmly think about it.

I couldn't even spare a second to breathe.

The veteran was on me like a tiger. He whipped out his gun-yo and smashed it against my face. Unprepared for the speed, I was sent back and landed hard on my back. My spine ached from the pain but I forced myself up.

I blocked the next hit and dodged sideways at the incoming blast.

I don't know how he did it but even while his gun was spinning, he timed his shots well enough that I had to block them. He yo-yoed his weapon and I felt the air hum it flew by. The ground where I stood before was sliced apart from the sharpened edges of his gun.

He fired again changing the gun-yo's direction. The wire, thin enough to be almost invisible, came slicing towards my neck. I hastily ducked to the floor. Pieces of my hair come off from the encounter.

_I hate gaudy weapons._

Everyone wanted to be a damn individual. They just had to come up with more and more 'fun' ways to optimise their weapons.

I grabbed the hilt of my blade. As unconventional as the veteran's weapon was, it had a major weakness.

The gun-yo zoomed by. I let it pass by and swung my sword on the string.

Like a regular yo-yo, you cut the string and all you're left with was a broken toy.

I felt the string tug against my blade.

It didn't snap.

_My sword can cut through steel. What the hell are the wires made of?_

I didn't have time to ponder on it because physics wanted to shred me to pieces and the gun-yo swerved towards my head.

It was deflected by a timely shot from Ruby.

_Screw this. I am not dealing with this crap._

"Ruby! Distract him!"

She nodded quickly and fired dozens of bullets. They were all sliced apart by the gun-yo and the veteran refocused his attention on Ruby.

The veteran redirected his weapon, hitting nothing but air as Ruby zipped around him. Now that I have time to focus, I noticed the veteran's eyes were glazed over like curved glass.

It was damn obvious he's being controlled. Not directly—you can't replicate the skill of wielding a gun-yo—but indirectly like tricking his senses.

It hit me then that most of our groups were infected.

_If all of them are acting like the veteran..._

My aura permeated the air, the person who's controlling the veteran had to be nearby.

I had find them. If this goes on we'll end up destroying ourselves.

That vague aura signature was present, but I couldn't pin down their location. I know it's present but it's like I couldn't focus my eyes on it, it slipped though my attention.

Just like a certain hat wearing man.

_It's that Roman Torchwick. He was at the warehouse we raided._

Although I couldn't sense the mind controller directly, residue of their presence trailed where they were. They left an empty vacuum where I couldn't sense.

"Ruby! Take this!" I tossed over my bag of dust crystals. Nothing fancy, only the four basic variation but when combined with her semblance it should be enough to at least stall. She fumbled but caught it as she dashed by. "Hold him as long as you can! I'll find and stop what's affecting him!"

"Got it!" she said. The lightning dust crystal glowed in her hand and vanished into particles of light. Ruby doubled in speed and she blitzed by leaving a trail of lingering lightening. She swerved around him jumping with the aid of her weapon, creating a spiralling cage of electricity. My hair rose from the built up static and the air tingled with energy.

Ruby is a strong huntress. I'm sure whatever hunter school she enters, they'll be proud to teach her.

But in a serious battle she would be no match for the veteran. The only reason she hasn't been taken down yet is that he's holding back in fear of collapsing the cavern. That and we were meant to subdue the enemy. If he decides to actually use lethal force then...

I didn't want to think about it.

I made my way over, silently like an assassin but quick like an eagle. The buzz of the air faded and the hallways reverberated ominously at each distant sound.

_There! __Behind that door._

I soon found my culprit.

_A girl?_

A pipsqueak of a girl was climbing up a ladder to a bullhead. She was fumbling and groping for the next bar in the darkness but it didn't matter.

I needed to stop her.

I shot at her with my gun-sheath and sprinted up the wall, leaping towards her at the peak of my run. She must have caught onto me because she raised her open umbrella in defence. Her umbrella held strongly against my bullets, defecting them away from her. She pushed herself off the ladder, letting gravity take her down and she landed clumsily against the floor. I dropped down with her, preparing an iado. Her hands went into her pocket and she hurled something that crackled loudly on the ground. A red flare sparked brightly and my eyes shut instinctively at the intense glare.

I heard fast footsteps.

I choked and bent over in pain as she rammed her umbrella into my side.

I lashed out with my sword but she already left my field of attack. My knees snapped shut and I found myself on the floor looking into the strangest pair of irises. I felt a tendril of aura leap out from them and it slithered through my own eyes.

I flung her off and she rolled along in the air. She landed toes first and her open umbrella resting on her shoulder.

The crimson light intensified her silhouette, casting her in a shade of blood red. She smirked at me and I think I know why.

Her aura was invading my system. I tried reaching out with my own aura but it was like slippery hot oil, I couldn't get a grip on it.

My vision wobbled. One eye saw the true reality and the other saw the illusion she woven for me.

I was disoriented, my coordination was wrecked and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

At best, I could only redirect her aura to the places she's already infected. My right eye, taken by her hallucination, won't be fixed until I take her down.

_Maybe if I shut my eye?_

I laughed mockingly, shutting my right eye didn't block the image. Her aura was pumping the delusion directly into my brain.

_This must be what's happening to that veteran and others. He must've thought he was fighting someone else._

It took a few false starts and some adjustment but I found my balance.

On one eye she ran towards me.

On the other she clambered up the stairs. I chased after her figure.

The fake girl swung her umbrella. Years of my training told me to dodge it but I ignored it. It struck against my stomach and I withstood the fake pain.

_This is all an illusion. She's only tricking my senses._

As fake as they are, they hurt like the damn real thing.

_Or am I thinking the wrong way around? Am I chasing the illusion? _

It doesn't matter, I already committed to chasing the girl.

I found my way to her.

The girl seemed moderately surprised but she didn't lose her cool. Rather she looked thoughtfully for a second before breaking out into a smile.

And just like that reality and illusion became one. The false image of her vanished and both eyes once again saw clearly.

I didn't drop my guard, my infection was still there, bubbling underneath the surface.

Her aura wrapped around herself and I prepared to block her next hit.

It never came.

She waved jollily and disappeared in a flash.

A second passed where I waited for the penny to drop.

Nothing.

_That was anticlimactic._

The red glow from her flare faded and the room blackened.

I checked my aura. No infection, no illusion, no issues. I let out a large burst of aura in case she was hiding.

The base was pretty much empty now. Most of our teams were scattered about the base but they were alive. Everyone's infected aura was normal albeit muted as if they were sleeping. Ruby's vibrant aura was shining like a lighthouse—probably a side effect from dust use.

There was still that hazy aura around. I originally thought it belonged to that girl but it was still present. Again I brought my way over to the vacuum in aura. Bracing myself for another fight, I smashed down the door and pointed my blade at the occupant.

Roman Torchwick sat, one leg over the other on an outrageous throne. He took out his cigar from his mouth, depositing residue on the ashtray.

"Why hello there!" Torchwick said, tone rich in faux politeness. "I do just love it when people break into my base. Please take my seat while you're here." He gestured to the throne he was on.

"It's over Torchwick. You have no one left to hide behind."

"Now see, you might have a point if it weren't for that fact that you're completely wrong." He knocked lightly against his throne. "You don't become where I am just through sheer dumb luck. No, it needs a certain...precision."

I cracked my neck side to side. "I don't care. Either give up or I'll knock you out. Painfully."

"Oh you wouldn't do that." His bowler hat shook from his suppressed laughter. "No, you wouldn't dare lay a finger on my suit. What you and everyone in your little entourage is going to do is let me and my minions walk out of this base. Free and unharmed."

"As if I'll let you."

He smirked at me.

Then he pulled out a bomb.

* * *

**AN: I have to admit, I envisioned the scene with Roman Torchwick since the start of infiltration. **

**Why does Roman have a throne? **

**Because reasons that feed into his ego.**

**The fight between Neo and Adam actually stumped me for a bit. So I opted to write whatever until something sticks. Eh, could be better but could be worse. **


	13. Lost Cat IV

**Chapter 13**

My breath stuck in my throat, voice dying as my heart raced. I was so focused on the bomb in front of me that I barely caught what Torchwick mockingly said.

"Now, I hate to state the obvious," Torchwick tapped the explosive with his cane. "But what we have here is a bomb." It was resting by his throne but I hadn't spotted it when I entered, seeing as I immediately zeroed in on the smug bastard. "I'm not exactly keen on blowing up my own base, but I'm not particularly fond of people storming in either. It ruins my professional image and you have no idea how long it took to cultivate." He paused, staring into my eyes. "I trust you're bright enough to understand where I'm going with this?"

"I know damn well what you're saying," I spat out. "But I can take you out before you detonate it." It was a bluff, I hated being on the defensive, but yielding to the arrogant devil was not an option. I'd rather be stabbed than submit to a man like Torchwick.

"Hmm? Oh don't go thinking it would be that easy. It's already been set to go off in a few minutes." He said, voice laced with sugary sweetness. I looked back at the bomb. There was an electronic display on it that was counting down even as we spoke. "And did you really think I'd only have the one? Come now, remember who you're dealing with here." He smirked, showing his white teeth. "I'm kind of a big deal."

_You smug bastard... I'll wring your smarmy little neck._

"How many?" Depending on his answer, I might've been able to fetch them all and toss them before they went off. God help me if it was more than a handful.

"Ooh, good question. You get a gold star." He clapped slowly, his gloves partially muffling the mocking gesture. "Short answer is lots. Long answer is enough to blast you to space, launch you past the Moon, and send you into the Sun." He sighed dramatically, adjusting his bowler hat. "They were saved for a special occasion and I figured, no time like the present. A lot of planning goes into my work and no one ever appreciates the touch of a professional." He clucked his tongue. "A tragedy, wouldn't you say?"

"I wouldn't actually, and that doesn't change anything." I levelled my blade at him. "All I have to do is take you out and get out before they go off." I wasn't sre how I would do it but, hell, I had been through worse.

"Were it only that simple… It's so hard to find intelligent people these days, you know?" Torchwick said ruefully, shaking his head. "For a moment there, I thought you had it." He sighed. "Look around you and think for a second." He brought up a finger, tapping it against his temple as he flashed me a conspiratorial wink. "Who else is here?"

He was stalling, that much was obvious, but why? He'd get caught in the blast radius just like… just like the rest of us.

The remaining White Fang members, the rest of my group, even that girl from before.

My Aura pulsed, spreading throughout the complex and highlighting the other people still present. I recognised the Auras of my group mixed in with the others, only some felt… dimmer than I'd have liked.

They're unconscious. I felt my Aura flare reactively. "Bastard…"

"So you finally see the big picture?" Torchwick asked irritably. He waved his cane around as he spoke, emphasizing his points with little jabs. "Your pathetic group isn't exactly in the best of shape right now. My associate made sure of that. You've met her right? Short, questionable fashion sense, a little on the quiet side."

So she does work for this prick. "Yeah, I met that bitch. If I never do again, it wouldn't be soon enough." Just the memory of her crawling, invasive, parasitic Aura made my eye twitch.

"I'd watch what you say around Neo. She has a mean streak a mile wide and can certainly hold a grudge. Believe me, I would know." He remarked with a shudder. "But that's not important right now. What is important, is that your entourage is stuck here and my parting gifts have been placed at every structurally significant point I could think of. If, when" He corrected with a laugh. "that clock hits zero, Vale's going to need a new monument to commemorate the crater left behind. Maybe you and your friends will get top billing?"

"Not exactly an original plan if you think about it." I quipped. "Then again, you do seem the type to let someone else do your dirty work." If I could keep him talking, I could catch him off-guard and get him to disarm the bombs. No way would he let himself be taken out if he could help it. "Where are the subterranean Grimm anyway? Last I heard they infested this place.

"Oh those things? We cleared them out ages ago. Can't exactly enjoy a secret base if it constantly gets attacked by underground Grimm, can you?" I could hear a trace of irritation in his voice as he idly brushed some dirt off his suit. "Anyway, I was thinking more... letting you guys get crushed to death than being eaten by monsters. Although that possibility is still on the table." He stroked his chin in faux consideration, as if he was torn between letting gravity or the Grimm finish the job.

"Then I'll hold you hostage." I threatened, revealing my ace in the hole. "You won't let yourself get crushed or blown up."

"You could and I certainly wouldn't," He drawled. "But then you might just anger my little friend. That nasty temper of hers that I mentioned earlier? Whereas I might hesitate, she'd have no problem expressing her displeasure by baiting a few Grimm." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm not at fault if a few Goliaths decide to stop in for a snack because of what you forced her to do. Really, it's best if you just let me escape so Neo doesn't have to resort to such extreme measures."

"What." I said flatly. "Is she an idiot? Picking a fight with a herd, let alone herds, of Goliaths is basically suicide."

"Oh, don't you worry about her." He replied flippantly. "She has a knack for avoiding trouble. No, what you should worry about is what'll happen afterward. Do you really think the Goliaths will be satisfied? Those 20 story monsters are going to be feeling hungry, aggravated, and what do you know?" The smile he shot me was damn near beatific. "There just so happens to be a Kingdom full of tasty people down the road. They already had the appetizer and Vale would be a pretty decent main course in my opinion."

"They won't, they can't get in." I said, hoping that I didn't sound as unsure as I felt. "It's too well defended and they'll see them coming." If it was just one Goliath, it could be handled relatively easily. Two? Harder but still possible. But a herd? Herds? It'd be a massacre.

"Maybe on the surface but underground?" Torchwick laughed heartily. "Here's a fun fact, this train line we're sitting on runs right beneath all your precious walls and guards. A few bombs here and there to clear the way and you get herds of Goliaths mucking about the heart of the city! Oh boy, it's like Christmas come early."

I wouldn't even last a minute against a herd, much less long enough to actually damage them. If Vale was taken completely by surprise, the death tolls would be in the thousands, infrastructure would collapse and everyone would blame the council for such gross negligence.

Society would be in ruins because of a single pint-sized psychopath.

_Shit, this isn't good. What are my options?_

There were multiple explosives around the base which, if set off, would collapse the bulk of the structure and kill the majority of us. Normally, the other Hunters could easily take care of themselves, but thanks to Torchwick's associate, they were helpless. And because the universe really enjoys giving me a hard time, the girl would resort to antagonising herds of Goliaths if sufficiently motivated.

"Oh." Torchwick pulled out his pocket watch and tapped it with his other hand. "You better hurry," he taunted. "Time is ticking."

So I needed to find a solution in less than, I checked the bomb's display, five minutes.

_How many Gordian knots have I've been wrapped in?_

I finally lowered my blade and sheathed it. As much as I'd have liked to let out a scream of frustration, I didn't have time to waste. I needed to determine who was awake so we could get the hell out of dodge before we were launched into orbit.

Placing his watch back in his pocket, Torchwick leaped off his throne and strutted past me, idly twirling his cane like he hadn't a care in the world. "Ta-ta for now!" He said far too happily.

I shot him a glare as he passed by and for a moment, the temptation to stab him, to prevent every future act of villainy crossed my mind. I was on the verge of drawing my katana when the image of Ruby buried beneath the rubble flashed before my eyes. I held my blade, there would definitely be another opportunity to capture him, but if any of my fr- group died, there was no coming back from that.

_Was that the right choice? How many people am I going to let hurt because I failed to stop him? ...It doesn't matter, I need to focus on the now._

My hands came away from my sword and I pulled out my radio, pressing the button to contact them all with my shaking hands.

_Why are my hands shak- no, focus._

Now, I had no idea how to defuse a bomb, but there had to be at least one of us who was both conscious and had the expertise to disarm explosives. Although, given the sheer amount Torchwick was hinting at, we were probably better off running.

I waited a few seconds as I nothing but static answered back. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat—surely someone was still conscious—but it refused to go away. My radio crackled and squealed once more before finally someone picked up. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Adam, you there?" came Ruby's voice. She sounded tired yet enthusiastic. Some lightning Dust was probably still coursing through her system. "Is everything OK?"

"No," I shook my head even though she couldn't see it. "The situation is bad. There are bombs planted everywhere." I spoke quickly, not sparing a second to breathe. "I can't defuse them but as long as we can stop the ones on the train line, we can spare Vale from annihilation. We've got to hurry, they're set to go in about five minutes."

"What!?" she yelled. Argh, my ears! What the hell did the squad leader say earlier!? "We've got to tell the others!"

"Stop shouting!" I heard her whine painfully from the other side. Good have a taste of your own medicine. "I tried already; from what I can tell with my Aura sense, nearly everyone else is knocked out. We need to rescue them and keep an eye on the Grimm, we can't afford to get overwhelmed by their numbers."

"But we can't do all that." I could tell she barely restrained herself from shouting. "There's only two of us. That's too much for us to do."

_Fuck, I know that but there isn't much else we can do. C'mon Adam! Think! Think!_

There were multiple groups that came down here. Someone might have a Semblance that could deal with this situation, but could I risk it? If Ruby wastes her time waking up whoever she can, and it turns out none of them were suited for the job, what happens to the ones we can't reach? She's certainly not strong enough to collect the bombs in her state, basically running on fumes, and even if she could gather them all, we'd have no way of knowing she got them all until it was too late. If it only took one strategically placed explosive to take down the cave and Ruby missed one...

What was the right choice? Do I take a gamble and hope someone's particular brand of bullshit soul magic was up to the task, do I send the hyperactive Huntress in training on a mine-sweeping mission and hope for the best, or do I just cut my losses and save what I can?.

_Which one? Which do I fucking choose?_

My chest felt tight as desperation welled up inside me. I started hyperventilating trying to catch my breath but it felt like there wasn't enough oxygen in the world to satisfy me. My heart pounded in my chest and my grip on the radio involuntarily tightened to the point I was worried I'd break it.

"Adam? Are you there?" Ruby's voice was distant, faint. "Adam!"

_Get a grip and pull yourself together man. You have to save the others. Push that anxiety down and come up with a plan!_

I coughed harshly and I rubbed my quivering hands on my chest to alleviate the ache building in my gut.

The room began to spin. My legs felt weak. I fell on my knees and began dry heaving.

_Why the fuck am I down here!?_

I tried standing but my body refused to cooperate.

No, no, not now. Not when I have to, have to save others.

I felt numb as the lack of air caught up to me.

And then-

"Get up, Adam!"

I jolted back up. My ears rang painfully as if I was trapped at an Achieve Men fan meeting.

"Ruby?" I said quietly. My breath was heavy and ragged, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before.

"We've got people to save! You're needed here so don't give up!"

My eardrums protested at her shrieking, but for once I didn't scold her.

"I know we're on a time limit." She said earnestly. "And it sucks that we're the only ones who can save everyone, but that's exactly why it's so important that we don't give in! It's OK to be scared! Anyone would be in your position so don't try to ignore it or play it off! It'll only make things worse if you bottle up your emotions and act like they don't exist." She paused to collect herself. "Don't go to the other extreme and let them overwhelm you! Take that giant leap forward because you feel that anguish and that pressure, let them push to you greater heights instead of dragging you down."

I stayed quiet. I couldn't think of anything to say.

Well, I could think of one thing.

"You're right." I whispered. "We have to keep moving forward." I grinned despite myself. "We'll never get anywhere otherwise."

I'll admit it, I was terrified.

Scared.

Anxious.

But that didn't mean I wouldn't act. If anything, it gave me even more reason to get back on my feet. Maybe I wouldn't save everyone, but that wasn't going to stop me from trying.

I took a deep breath. "Are you still there?"

"Yup, you better now?"

"Definitely. Thanks Ruby."

"Hehe, my pleasure." Her smile somehow shone through her words.

"Ruby, we're going to save everyone. Grab as many people as you can and take them outside. As long as you still have some wind Dust, you should be able to carry them without jostling them too badly."

"No worries, I got some spares. I was mostly using lightning Dust anyway."

Annoyingly, the radio went static-y again. I fiddled with the buttons hoping to get back to Ruby but to my surprise, Dee's voice came on.

"I heard what you both said. Some of the other members will assist in collecting everyone. I'll head to the bombs on the train line and attempt to disarm them. At the very least, I'll try and contain the blast with my shields."

I made a sound of approval and Ruby cheered at her voice. Support, especially from a shield user, would be excellent right now. "Good, Ruby you know what to do. Be careful when you carry them."

"Well yeah, I'm not going to drop them." A beat. "Hopefully."

"That doesn't inspire me any confidence."

"Eheh, I'll do my best?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. She really wears her heart on her sleeve. "Whatever, just don't die. I'll get the rest of our group out."

I checked the map on my Scroll as I ran. No one was showing up so I placed it back in its holster and sent out an Aura pulse. I sensed the veteran nearby and made a beeline for the man.

The veteran was where I left Ruby earlier and I dropped down to a knee to assess his condition. As I suspected, the veteran was knocked out, presumably by either Ruby or that girl, Neo. He didn't seem to be hurt otherwise, but I wasn't a doctor and couldn't be sure. I just had to hope he wasn't torn up internally and that the others got off as lightly as he seemed to. I checked his radio to test a theory and found the thing broken beyond repair. I'd thought as much, seeing as everyone should've been woken up by Ruby's speech earlier had their radios been working. Since they weren't, I had to assume Neo broke the other radios as well.

It was then that Dee dropped down with several other Hunters. By the looks of it, they look like they just got out of a battle.

"Sorry, we didn't come sooner," Dee said, inclining her head. "But we had to separate to deal with a group of Goliaths. They were starting to invade the ruins and we had to stop them. The other Hunters managed to delay them but I don't think they'll last longer than a few minutes."

Tch, Neo must've been pissed. "That's fine, as long as we rescue everyone."

I quickly memorised their Aura signatures before some drifted off to help Ruby collect more people. One of them was another speedster, which gave me hope that maybe we'd all make it out alive.

The veteran was rapidly passed to a Huntress whose Semblance allowed her to create earthen golems. A moderately sized golem picked the veteran up and tossed him up to another golem waiting at the top of the cavern. They disappeared from view as the golem presumably went to store him somewhere safe.

I headed search party thanks to my Aura sensing. I didn't like playing support but it was where I was most useful. Although muted, I could still determine where everyone was. It wasn't anything like with Neo and Torchwick, where their Auras felt like vacuums devoid of life.

_I wonder if they're related to each other._

We set a steady pace to the nearest person.

"Where are Jaune and Es?" I asked.

"Es is still healing that boy we found earlier and Jaune is helping out." said Dee. "It's taking every bit of Aura Es has to keep him alive." She glanced over, spotted my look of discomfort, and patted my back. "Don't worry, the boy is in good hands." She tilted her head to the girl on her left. "Violet over here might not be a full fledged healer but her Semblance can still treat wounds."

Violet, who was running besides Dee, smiled and gave me a wave.

I nodded respectfully at her. Anyone could learn how to hurt, just look at how many people have combat-related Semblances. But a healer? Those were rare and I admired what they could do.

"Next corner." I said.

As we rounded the corner, we came upon our first victim. It was an unconscious man with a vicious-looking stab wound running up his leg. Without a moment's hesitation, Violet bent down, hands glowing as her Semblance did its thing. I'm not sure what she communicated to Dee, but a golem swung by soon after, picking up and carrying the man to the nearest exit.

A short time after, Dee left us to deal with the bombs on the train line. It was up to Violet and I now.

I couldn't help but up my pace as we moved forward. Each second seemed like a small eternity as the trip seemed to drag on despite the fact that we were practically sprinting.

We found him face down on the floor. "Hew?" I said, slightly relieved. From a cursory glance, I couldn't spot any injuries. His chainsaw lay by his side, scuffled but undamaged. I shook him awake and he blinked tiredly at me.

"Hn?" He grunted. I took that to mean 'what's happening?'.

"Get out of here. The cavern is going to collapse. Go up and find somewhere safe. We'll be back when we find everyone else."

He scrambled up to his feet, picking up his weapon. He shook his head and pointed ahead of us.

"Alright," I said. "If you think you can handle the rescue mission then let's go."

Time was ticking and we searched. On and on the tunnels went and I knew with a growing dread that we wouldn't save everyone. There was too much ground to cover, not enough people searching, and not enough time on top of that. I knew the others were thinking the same way. Their movements became more fraught, more frantic as we pushed ourselves for that extra bit of speed. Urgency, desperation, despair filled the air and we were powerless to stop it.

I used my dwindling supply of Aura and cast out my senses once more. About half of our group still remained, needing to be rescued.

There were only 30 seconds left.

I felt my arm get tugged.

"We have to leave!" Violet shouted.

"Not yet," I said, struggling with the healer. "There's still one more person ahead of us."

"We need to get out now or we won't make it!"

Crossroads.

Do I save them?

"Fuck off!" I went ahead anyway. Violet and the others hesitated behind me. "Everyone who's low on Aura, get out of my way!"

They looked at each other and everyone but Hew left.

The man I had sensed was knocked out. I dragged him by his arms while Hew grabbed his legs. He was bleeding but that would have to wait. My Aura was nearly out, using so many pulses in such a short span had driven my reserves to the brink. I slowed to a normal run. Hew must had been feeling the pressure as well, he was panting as heavily as I was.

20 seconds left.

_Shit, what now?_

I used my free arm, grabbing a sword that had infused red Dust and positioned it behind me. Hew quickly understood what I was about to do and positioned himself ahead of me. I poured my remaining drops of Aura into the sword, triggering the latent Dust and forcing it to explode violently.

The arm holding the blade was seared in a second, turned into a useless lump of scorched skin in the blink of an eye. My legs, shaking with adrenaline, lost traction and suddenly we weren't running but instead flying through the air. The tunnel around us blurred as we shot forward and I prayed we wouldn't run into a stray stalagmite. Hew almost let go, dooming himself and the bleeding man before I grabbed the two in a vice like grip.

10 seconds left.

As the exit screamed into view, the Dust ran out and we began to fall. We tumbled heavily to the ground, and I screamed in pain as something sharp stabbed into my back as we rolled. I kept a tight hold of the man and Hew held onto to me for dear life.

We skidded mercifully to a stop at the entrance.

I tried getting up but my ruined arm couldn't push Hew off. To his credit, the man tried to pick himself up, only to collapse just as quickly.

5 seconds left.

I felt the chaotic swirl of Ruby's Aura, an after-effect of all the Dust she popped to keep her strength up, a moment before the girl herself arrived.

She whipped out her scythe, firing once to augment a swing, and caught the bleeding man's coat with the protruding part of Crescent Rose. Its momentum flung the man to safety in the far off distance, though I can't imagine the landing did him any favours. With that out of the way, Ruby stowed her scythe, dragging Hew and I out with the last of her strength. My head scraped painfully against the pavement and I'm sure I accidentally swallowed some dirt.

2 seconds.

I closed my eyes and plugged my ears.

1 more second and...

Nothing happened. For a moment, I thought Dee contained the entire blast.

We didn't stop until Ruby dragged us out of the city. I definitely had some nasty burns, maybe a few new scars, but at least I was alive. I spotted a few Grimm lurking about but they were busy battling fresher looking Hunters.

Confident that I wouldn't die to a mere Beowolf, I finally let go and slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

_This hospital is a torturous place._

I was wrapped in enough bandages that my skin would be bleach white by the end of the week. Apparently being dragged at high speeds over cracked concrete and rough gravel wasn't particularly conducive to healthy skin care. Also, it turned out that setting off point blank Dust charges with your hand earned you a lecture from the doctor. Like, all of the lectures. Thankfully, I had heard most of the spiel from my father way back when, so I could tune the doctor out. Satisfied that I wouldn't be trying to blow up my hands anytime soon, the doctor left shortly afterward. As I laid back to rest, there was a knock on the door. Jaune entered with little preamble and sat on the only chair in the room.

It was almost as if Jaune and I had switched places.

"Hey," said Jaune, "How're you doing? You don't exactly look uh, well good."

"Fine." I muffled back. Speaking through bandages was harder than I thought. "What happened after I blacked out?"

He shrugged. "The Hunters took care of the Grimm and once that was settled, they investigated the base." Jaune shook his head. "We couldn't stop Torchwick and his group escaping. There was just too much going on and not enough time to process it all. With the threat of the bombs, we couldn't spare anyone else to chase them."

I sighed. "Never mind that then. Why didn't the bombs go off? I was counting down and I know I didn't count wrong."

"Ah well," He scratched the back of his head, and looked away. Fantastic, I'm not going to like what he's going to say. "We checked them over. There was nothing in them. No Dust, no conventional explosives, not even a firecracker. They were just empty shells with built-in clocks. The only bit that was working was the timer."

"...what?"

"The cargo was empty too so they must've took all the stolen Dust with them. I'm betting they planned to escape later but we caught them earlier than they expected. The whole bomb threat was probably a back-up plan to delay us long enough to let them escape."

I stayed silent letting Jaune's words sink in. The entire reason we went after the bomb was because Torchwick himself told me they were a threat and I chose to believe his lies.

_He bluffed me. He bluffed me and I fell for it. I let him walk away for nothing._

I recalled his condescending laugh. How giddy that man must have felt as I let him by. I was fooled. Completely and utterly played.

I smashed my fist into the wall, leaving spider web cracks behind. I should had realised, they didn't expect us to arrive early. They wouldn't have had time to build that many elaborate bombs.

I felt an arm on my shoulder "Adam," said Jaune. "It's alright. We can catch them later."

I slumped hard against the bed. What a failure I am. "How's that guy we saved earlier? The one in the prison cell."

"Oh you mean Sun? That's his name." He clarified at my confused look. "Apparently they wanted to find out how he discovered their base. Using any means necessary." He let that hang in the air and I was again reminded of the state he was in when we found him. "He didn't talk and they resorted to harsher means to get to him." His face clouded and his voice dropped. "Even then he kept taunting them. His spirit remained strong but his body was in pain. His guards left him for dead when they detected our arrival but he managed to defy their expectations and lived on. He's probably going to be stuck in the hospital for a long while but his family was notified so they're on their way over."

I drew in a breath, and let it all out in a deep weary sigh. "The White Fang needs to be stopped."

"I know and we'll do something about it, but you need to recover first. The apartment just isn't right without you to do my bidding." He smiled at me telling he wasn't being serious.

"Oi, I'm your assistant, not your slave." Still, I smirked behind my bandages.

We talked some more before he bid me farewell and left me alone with my thoughts. It wasn't often that I felt introspective, but when you're stuck in a hospital bed for large amounts of time you can't help but do so. At the time when I confronted Torchwick, I was sure I could take him down. Everything seemed like it was heading that way. I found his hideout, beat his subordinate, and cornered him. Yet he slipped through my fingers like some slimy serpent. Jaune assured me that it was the right decision—that if it really was a bomb then it was better to evacuate than to risk all of us dying—but a golden opportunity presented itself to me. I let it waste, had I captured or even killed him, the world would be slightly less bitter.

Then there's the fact I had a panic attack. I'm ashamed to admit that it took Ruby to goad me back to fighting. Despite being on the same level of several Hunters, I've never been responsible for a large group, the lives of multiple people dependent on my decisions and I choked when the chips came down. I complained, moaned, and grumbled at Jaune for being my boss, but I had a grudging respect toward him for holding himself together when calls needed to be made. I also needed to show Ruby my appreciation for her help. I'll just teach her a few tricks when constructing weapons since that seems to be all she focuses on anyway.

"Hey! Adam!" A hand waved in front of me and I blinked at the sudden change.

"Ruby? They let you out already?" I didn't even notice her arrival.

"Yup." She bobbled her head. "I wasn't badly hurt like you. I mostly zoomed by as fast as I could so they didn't really land a proper blow on me." She settled herself in the same seat Jaune had. "I wish uncle Qrow was there to help. He's got this really cool teleporting Semblance that can-"

The doctor walked in then. He gave me a glance and stopped halfway into his next step.

"Why is the wall damaged?" He said with a hint of confusion.

"Uh, it was already like that when I walked in." answered Ruby.

I felt the doctor's sharp glare on me like needles and I restrained myself from fidgeting.

* * *

**AN: Phew. Took a while to get this chapter done, Christmas then exams happened and then I lost some motivation to write this because Torchwick was a pain to write as but here it is. I know I'm late in saying this but I'm sad to see Monty leave this world, his family and friends are in my thoughts yet his legacy remains on us. Let's all hope for a brighter future. Thanks goes to BozarBoy for making this chapter 100 times better.**


	14. Missing Warrior I

**Chapter 14 (Jaune Arc)**

It only took ten minutes for me to regret having Professor Goodwitch as my personal teacher. It took five more minutes for me to plant my face on the ground from sheer exhaustion.

"Tut, tut, Mr. Arc; we're going to need to work on your stamina."

I groggily turned toward Prof. Goodwitch. For a moment, I thought my exhaustion had rendered me blind but nope, she just happened to stand in front of the blaring sun.

I swear, she must've done that on purpose.

I coughed and tasted coppery blood. The grass felt cool, and the wind blew by, tickling my neck. It was a tranquil moment that I took the time to appreciate.

"This isn't the end of your lesson, Mr. Arc. Get up; we still have to test your swordplay."

I groaned. Let's just say it was a long and tiring day.

By the time it was over, the Sun had nearly set, casting a faint glow over the city. Prof. Goodwitch bade me farewell and I was given a few days off to recover from her tortu-, I mean, _teaching_.

I took the time to visit the hospital and collect a fully recovered Adam. While there, the hospital staff asked about the ruined, dirty state of my clothes but I waved off their concerns—I could just wash it off later. I knocked on his door and heard Adam call me in. He was finally being let out, and let me tell you, he was buzzing in excitement. He didn't show it obviously, his face an impassive mask, but I knew that he was by his slightly straighter posture.

He gave me a once over, raising his eyebrow. "What happened to you? You're _covered_ in grime. Did you get into a fight?"

"Huh? Oh naw, Professor Goodwitch just decided to train me up. She might've been too rough this time I guess."

He stared a second longer at my heavily mud stained shirt. "…Right. Fine, let's leave. I'm sick of this place."

"It's great to be back home isn't it, Adam?" I said, shutting the door as Adam walked past. A long week had fluttered by as he healed, as there weren't really any major cases that happened while he and Blake were away. Just good old training with Prof. Goodwitch, which was a nice change of pace. After all, if I was busy, it would mean another murderer was out there in the streets.

Adam stretched his neck side to side before he sat down on the sofa. "Definitely better than lying on my ass all day doing nothing. You didn't have to visit that much by the way, I can handle solitude fine."

I knew exactly how bored he must've been while locked in the hospital. I mean, I was in his position myself not too long ago, so I tried to visit as often as I could. Course, I might have been too enthusiastic about it. Visiting five times a day did seem a tad much in retrospect.

"Well, can't help it if my subordinate is stuck in the hospital. It's the bosses' duty to take care of their employees."

He snorted. "Then visit Blake instead of me. Last I've seen she could have used some of your 'tender' care." He paused, taking off his shoes. "How is she anyway? Has she recovered her memories yet?"

I sighed. "Not yet. She still can't remember anything. Ruby and I had taken her to places she'd been to before but nothing." I leaned back against the wall. "I'm starting to think she might never recover."

"That's unusually cynical of you to say." Adam pointed out.

"Heh," I smirked. "Oh don't you worry, I'm taking a page from you today. I'll return to my amazing, happy go lucky self by the end of the day."

I didn't like to consider it, but after a week and no progress, even the greatest optimist would be weary. It was frustrating at times, talking to someone so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. It wasn't like I was angry with her though. Rather, it was just that I was anxious as to whether or not she thought I was invading her personal space by bringing up events that she'd been told about, but didn't actually remember.

It was one huge mess but I wouldn't give up.

I reached for the remote and pushed the on button. The television sprang to life, by default I left the channel set to the news. Partially, to keep up to date with events, and partially to keep track of the public's view on the cases I had solved.

_Yes, I like to inflate my ego and I'm not ashamed to admit it._

"Moving onto the next segment. Celebrity news, and we're joined by the lovely Azure, your host for the evening." The television lady flashed a practiced smile. "Many of you are familiar with Pyrrha Nikos, four time Mistral regional champion. Ever since her debut at the age of 13, she has stunned the world as a budding prodigy. The world watched in anticipation and we weren't disappointed! To all you lucky people living in Vale, Pyrrha's manager Mr. Achilles has confirmed that she will be attending Beacon Academy to finish her education. Who knows? Maybe you lucky Valeans might run into her while you're out doing your job?" A picture of Mr. Achilles appeared on-screen. His hair was a grizzly brown and his features were weather worn from age. At a glance, you could see he lived comfortably.

_Nice suit, confident smile, and a solid career. No wonder he's living well._

"For those of you who can't wait that long, you're in luck. Pyrhha has a scheduled a Q &amp; A session in two days' time. Anyone can participate and there are no tickets necessary! It will be held at the Vale auditorium at 15:00. Don't be late!"

"Looks like we might have to deal with more fans in the future," said Adam. "They'll probably try and hire us to investigate her."

"I hope not. If it's for a good reason then yeah, we can investigate someone's background, but when it's invading an innocent's personal life like that?" I shook my head. "Then it's stepping over the line."

Adam grunted something unintelligible in response.

I didn't have any important work scheduled, and between recovering from training and Adam coming out of the hospital, it just seemed like the sort of day where you laid back. Besides, between my career and my friendship, I would pick friendship any day. Of course just because I was free from cases didn't stop people coming directly to the agency, which was what happened later on that day.

The doorbell rang, interrupting a show we were watching.

"I'll check the camera." I said. Normally, that would be Adam's job but since it was his first day back, I wanted to cut him some slack.

Standing outside was a man, tall in stature, with wild, grizzly hair. I blinked at his presence. Shuffling myself quickly, not wanting to make him wait, I flung open the door.

"I presume this is the Arc Agency?" His tone was as stiff as his upper lip. He sounded exactly as I imagined he would, deep and cultured with a hint of an accent I couldn't quite place.

"Mr. Achilles. Welcome! Yes, this is the Arc agency. Please come in." I offered to take his coat but he firmly declined.

I gestured for Mr. Achilles to sit in the guest chair and promptly shut off the television. Adam joined by my side, offering his silent support.

"First off," said Mr. Achilles. "I want to confirm that you will tell no one of this meeting."

_That doesn't sound good._

"Very well," I said, slipping back into my persona. "I give you my word that nothing said in this room will leave my lips unless it's towards you."

He glanced sharply at Adam. "And is he trustworthy?" I wondered if he was asking out of paranoia or because Adam was a Faunus.

"He is my valued partner and has my full confidence."

His gaze lingered a second longer before nodding. "Very well, I shall cut to the chase then. As you are perhaps aware, I am currently the manager of _the_ Pyrrha Nikos. I am responsible for managing the daily tasks that she needs to attend to, one of which, was to visit Beacon Academy. Currently, the school year has not started yet, so it is the perfect chance for young Pyrrha to explore Beacon, as it is her first time visiting Vale. She was supposed to be given a tour by one of their staff members and then afterward, she would have begun preparing for her interview. That was the plan at least."

_I think I can see where this is going._

"Then what happened?"

"We visited Beacon Academy as per the schedule with our assigned tour guide. It was as normal as can be, until we reached the courtyard. Our tour guide then left, at Pyrrha's request, as she wanted to explore by herself. It was then that _it_happened." He snapped his fingers. "Vanished like smoke. She has gone missing. I turn my head back to look at the buildings for three seconds and she disappeared!"

_Knowing him, it probably was actually three seconds._

"So you want me to look for her? Wouldn't it be better to contact the police and have them organise a proper search?"

"And damage Ms. Nikos' reputation?" He scoffed. "Absurd. She is not a helpless girl that needs to be coddled and I will _not_ present her to the media that way. She is a far stronger person than the... _stereotypical woman_."

"I see." I didn't, especially since safety first and all, but I didn't want to get bogged down in arguments. "But what if she's in danger? Have you received any threats of any kind perhaps?"

He snorted. "The last time Pyrrha was threatened was when she was 13. Her debut frightened off thousands of people. It was swift, brutal and wild." A shark smile made its way onto his face. "She was placed on a throne then. You would not expect it from such a young girl, but it was like an enraged animal was released. Everything was about as causing as much terror as possible so no one would dare challenge her. The queen of the fighting arena, no one would have the proper courage to approach her without due cause."

"Wow, I uh didn't expect such a history from her."

"She has mellowed over the years but her reputation and awe follows. Less and less dared to rise against her and she has settled well into her position. You have the occasional cocky upstart thinking they could beat her down, but they have always regretted it."

"OK then." This guy was brutal on a level I didn't want to comprehend. "Well, can you describe your schedule or…?"

"I have a full timetable with me." He pulled open his briefcase and handed over the schedule. "Here, take a copy."

Adam took it for me and placed it in his inside coat pocket. I turned back towards Mr. Achilles. "So I know what she's like professionally but what about personally? What do her friends or co-workers say about her?"

"Friends?" He said with a frown. I got the impression that the word felt foreign on his lips. "She has many co-workers but none spring to mind when I think of a personal friend. She has not asked me to change her schedule to accommodate anyone before, so I assume she doesn't have many."

"No one she can confide in?"

"Not that I know of, although in such personal matters, her family can take the role of a listener."

"Very well, and her co-workers?"

"They approach her like a maid would approach her master, complete and utter subservience. They know what would happen if they cross her."

"Oh? What happened before?"

"A waiter once got her order wrong while she was dining at a restaurant. She was merciful enough to forgive him, but I wanted to make a statement. I wanted the very best for her, and I wanted everyone to know it. An easily replaceable servant like him is not going to stop me."

"So what did you do?"

He straightened his back even more so than before. "I made a scene. I made sure every one of the customers knew that the service there was intolerable. I drove the waiter to near tears, and the manager had to come out. Needless to say, it didn't go well for him. Word spread after that. I am sure you are aware of how rumours take a life of their own. My one complaint snowballed until no one knew who was telling the truth and who was just misinformed, but if there was one constant between all those lies, it was that Pyrrha Nikos can _destroy_ you no matter who you are." I felt Adam stiffen behind me. "The restaurant is out of business now. Last I heard, the owner moved to some other city."

"Good to know," I said.

Some more formal terms were discussed, such as how much I was to be paid, when and how I was expected to contact him, and the specifics of my confidentiality clause. He must have returned to that last point more than a few times before he was confident I wouldn't talk.

"Very well," said Mr. Achilles. "I shall pay the deposit now. I expect great work from you, Mr. Arc."

"Thank you. I will live up to your expectations."

He bowed and left without another word.

I looked over the schedule Mr. Achilles left and let out a whistle. "Pyrrha sure had a busy schedule. She barely has any time for herself."

Wake up at six, train for several hours, then break off for an hour to take care of herself and have lunch. After all that, she had a tour which was supposed to last for a few more hours before she'd explore the city. Afterward, she would spend the next two days preparing for her interview. More training, dinner, study for her formal education, and then back to sleep. I flickered through her schedule for the next few days and they weren't much better, even after she returned to Mistral.

"So what are you going to do?" Asked Adam.

"Easy," I said, smiling. "I'm going to look online."

His head tilted as if I'd told him a bad joke, which admittedly I've done countless times in the past. "You're searching for a missing person by looking online?"

"Definitely. Look, I'll show you."

I pulled up my holographic computer and typed in a few things.

"Celebrity tracker?" Adam said, raising his eyebrows.

"You wouldn't believe what the power of the masses could do if they all worked together. In this case though, you have people who like to post messages and updates on celebrity's whereabouts. I'm pretty sure they do that to me as well."

"Really? Let me see." Adam navigated the screen until he reached my page. "It says here that you've been spotted visiting the hospital every day. In fact, it just updated with you being in the agency. Talk about invasive."

I shrugged. "Life of a celebrity. Though that does explain why I keep running into more and more fans on my way there. I tried taking different routes, but you can't exactly waltz in the back entrance. You have to go through the front, and fans usually accost me there. It's not so bad, the way I see it, the more people I make happy, the better. It's not like anyone is getting hurt."

Adam scrolled through a few more pages before reluctantly moving away. "For now anyway. You keep going and you'll have people after you because you might be after them. Hell, they might even team up to take you out. You know the saying, 'the enemy of the enemy is my friend'? You might become that common enemy."

"Maybe?" I said, leaning back on my chair. "To be honest, you could even apply that logic to Grimm but people are still divided over issues. Take the White Fang for example. They want equal rights for Faunus, which is what they deserve," I assured him. "But the way they go about it is pretty barbaric."

"They probably feel cornered," Adam said. "Not much has changed since the war and looking at the way things are, it's probably going to get worse. Humans might respect us now, albeit through fear, but all it takes is one little incident to ruin everything. I won't be surprised if a civil war erupts."

I blanched. "Let's hope not, all the previous wars were enough, and we don't need to add one more to the list."

"Tch, being realistic is depressing. What we need is something to bridge everyone together. You would think the Grimm would do that, but they're a background threat. It pales in comparison to what affects us directly. People always only focus on their narrow-minded views, and a lot of times people just don't care."

I sighed. These conversations were important, but there were always topics we tried to tip toe around like an unspoken rule. From what I've seen with politics on the television, it's largely the same.

"Anyway, I'm checking on Pyrrha's profile now, we can talk about this stuff later."

Adam grunted in response.

Pyrrha's profile was pretty similar to mine: basic information including age, history, personality and some videos of her fighting. At the bottom, you could post a comment.

I glanced it over, taking it all in. Seemed she was quite the celebrity judging by all the awe inspired comments, mostly fans showing support and a _lot_ of guys proclaiming she was a Goddess. That's right, capital G and all. With some of the stuff I was reading, they were practically worshipping her as one. Man, looking at where most of the commenters were from, she had a lot of fans in Mistral. Made sense since it was her home Kingdom. Although, if she's most loved there, why didn't she go to the Hunter academy located in Mistral? Beacon was good but there were others, namely Haven, which could rival its prominence.

Eh, maybe she just wanted the best of the best, the 'cream of the crop' so to speak.

I scrolled though her profile and according to the information written, her last known location was Beacon Academy about a few hours earlier. That wasn't helpful exactly, but it at least confirmed Mr. Achilles' story at least. Mr. Achilles was pretty adamant about Pyrrha's safety, so from then on, Pyrrha must have left of her own violation. Her profile mentioned that she was highly professional and career driven with long hours dedicated to her training. Granted, I sort of gathered that from talking to her manager, but it was nice to have verification. Now, if that was the case, what would cause her to leave? Did she see something at Beacon?

"Adam, I'm off to Beacon Academy. Take care of the agency will you? I'll ring you up if I need anything, oh, and call me if Blake's condition improves."

"You don't need a bodyguard?"

"Nah." I waved him off. "Going to Beacon remember? You know, the heavily guarded fortress staffed by powerful Hunter-teachers?"

"Fine, whatever." He waved nonchalantly. "I'll man the house."

I checked over myself again, making sure I looked presentable and made my way out.

"Ack!" A few steps and I found myself tangled up on the ground with a smallish girl.

We scrambled back to our feet and in the girl's case, sorted out her fluffy white dress. Now looking at her again, my initial impression fell short, literally. She barely reached my chest, even with her top hat.

And yes she wore a top hat, a pretty impressive one at that. I guessed she had a bit of a height complex. She whipped her bangs out of her eyes, tilting her head up to face me with the widest and brightest of smiles. Seriously, she would give Ruby's million watt smile a run for its money.

"Oh. Oh!" Her green eyes widened and I got the distinct feeling that they always stayed wide eyed. "You're Mr. Arc! Hello, yes, it's great meeting you." She roughly grabbed my hand, shaking it wildly as if it was boneless. "I _always_wanted to meet you. From your first case to the last, I've been keeping track on you like a hawk would its prey." She squinted to form what I assumed what she thought a hawk's face was like. I assumed anyway, kind of hard to tell. "Anyway, I work with the Vale newspaper, _Behind the Vale_, and I was wondering if_you_ would like to spend an afternoon with _me._We could go to your favourite restaurant, have a meal and if you don't mind, an interview. Oh here!"

She reached into her pocket and handed me a business card, which she had to stand on tip toes to do so.

_**Ram I. Troy**_

_**Journalist**_

_**Behind the Vale**_

_Huh, so Ram is actually old enough to have a job._

She looked youthful enough that, if I saw her on a playground, I wouldn't bat an eye. A part of me wanted to break out into laughter at how ridiculous the situation was, but thankfully I kept that part locked up—wouldn't want her to think I'm a weirdo.

"Sorry Miss Troy, but I'm busy now. Maybe later?" I offered.

"Aha! Busy with a case for Mr. Achilles?" She winked. "Something to do with Pyrrha Nikos maybe? Oh! I bet it is, Mr. Achilles rarely has any personal problems, he's not the sort to focus on himself like that. Hum, hum, hum, but what about dear old Pyrrha?" She paused and struck an over the top thinking pose. "There's not a single stain on her reputation, but that makes it all the more exciting when something comes out."

"Er-" I started.

Ram bulldozed on, ignoring my lost mumblings. "But there are rumours, there's always rumours, nothing substantial but there was that saying—what was it? Ah yes, they all hold a grain of truth, you ever hear this one?" She didn't wait for me to answer before continuing. "Pyrrha is apparently a very lonely person. It hasn't been addressed by her or anything, but many of her fans believe it like they believe the Sun will rise tomorrow. That's why they all act like knights in shining armour, encouraging her at every opportunity. After all, unconditional love is a great feeling."

"Right," I said, interrupting her. "Well, I best be off now."

"Sure, sure, just ring me when you got the time." Ram said with a wink, clasping her hands together. "I won't be bothering you anymore, tata!" She left with a spring in her step.

_What a strange girl._

I shook off the encounter. As fun as talking to her was, I needed to focus on my trip.

* * *

Before I arrived, I called the administration office about my visit. It was getting late and I didn't want to visit only to find it was closed. After three rings, a man picked up. The man happily offered to lend me someone to act as a tour guide, and I asked if I could have the same person who escorted Pyrrha. There was a sound of muffled surprise on the other end, and the man on the scroll left me on hold to contact someone else. A few minutes later, he returned, confirming that the tour guide was willing to show me around. So with a little hesitation, I arrived at the specified meeting point.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous. We were talking about Beacon Academy after all, only the best Hunter school in Remnant. Signal was important, but my dream of being a Hunter would begin in earnest here. Or it would have if I didn't have this job. It's weird, I always envisioned myself walking through its doors with sparkling eyes. It would be something new, something exciting, and I would be surrounded by many others aspiring to be the next best Hunter.

But now I'm waiting at a café for someone to pick me up. I'll walk through Beacon not as a student, but as a detective. It felt like I was betraying myself. Somewhere along the way, I pushed my dream down. I guess in the face of my new occupation my dream didn't really matter as much. It's sounds trivial, but when I was out looking for clues on a case, I sometimes paused and this nagging impulse at the back of my mind acted up. I suppressed it, I needed to, otherwise I'd get distracted as the idea of me being something more ate away at me and I couldn't help but regret the path I chose.

_Is this what growing up is like?_

_…Growing up sucks._

I had time to take a chomp out of my donut before I was accosted rather abruptly.

"Ah, hello young man. Might you be Mr. Arc?" A bulky man stood upright in front of me. His hair, including his rather large moustache, was grey. He wore a burgundy coloured suit, framing his large body.

"Oh, er yeah." I nodded. "That's me. Who're you?"

"Professor Port, teacher at Beacon Academy," he said. "And today, I will be leading your visit. I must say, you're very lucky to have me. Why, you have one of the finest men in history guiding you around the spectacular Beacon Academy. Few people have this opportunity, and even fewer have me to personally lead them. It is indeed a rare honour, and I expect you to be thankful of Headmaster Ozpin for letting you in on such short notice."

"Er, no problem. I'll make sure to thank him when I next see him." I assured the Professor.

"Bravo! It seems I'm in the company of a polite one. Very well, let's not dilly dally then." Nodding to himself, Professor Port dragged me to his private bullhead. I stuffed whatever remained of my donut into my mouth. A few onlookers gasped at my presence, and I gave them my ever classic charming smile.

_Oh yeah, I can still make the ladies swoon._

Once I settled in, the bullhead lifted off and soared towards Beacon.

It was a pretty exciting experience, as with each passing second, Beacon Academy came ever closer and I could make out more and more details. There was a large flowing waterfall and I was sure that it would look more beautiful up close. But well, as you might expect, Jaune Arc and flying mix about as well as mints and cola.

"Are you alright, my boy?" Prof. Port asked, shooting me a concerned look. "Don't worry, we will be landing shortly."

"Urgh. Yes, land would be good right now." I fetched the water bottle I bought earlier and took a generous sip from it. Anything to keep my stomach a happy camper was good. "So Professor Port, I heard that you showed Pyrrha Nikos around campus? Could you tell me what was she like then?"

"Ah yes, Ms. Nikos. A fine lady she is, I'm sure she will grow up to become a fierce warrior that may even rival my legacy." Professor Port twisted his moustache, deep in recollection which I hoped he'd snap out of soon since, you know, he was flying the plane and I didn't want him distracted. "Indeed, she's very humble, greeted me with the proper respect I deserved and listened with a curiosity today's youths generally lack. Should she end up in one of my classes, why, I would be positively thrilled to have her there."

"So she didn't seem upset or in a hurry?"

"Not to my eyes at least." He shrugged. "Her manager escorted her the entire time. I very much doubt she would be late with a punctual man like him around."

"And what happened afterwards?" I pressed. "I heard that she explored the campus without you at some point."

"Hmm, yes she insisted quite heavily on being allowed to survey the courtyard herself. I, understanding how people need to learn by themselves, happily removed myself from her presence. We were to meet again by the hours end, but her manager contacted me and called it off." He paused as if to consider something. "Perhaps an urgent matter needed to be attended, I wasn't privy to such details unfortunately."

"That's fine, what you told me was plenty." Well, it was a start at least.

"Nonsense!" Prof. Port said, pounding his fist into his head to emphasize the point. "Do you know what Ozpin said to me before picking you up?"

"No, what?"

"He said to be as helpful as possible and in all my years knowing the man, he always has a good reason for what he says." He tapped his temple twice. "That man is a sharp fellow, I wouldn't doubt his advice even if he told me to throw myself off a cliff."

"He sounds pretty clever."

_That explains how I got a tour so easily despite the late hour._

He was about to respond before he caught himself. "Ah, we're about to land. Hold on tight." The wind blew outwards as the bullhead dropped down gently. I got out of the bullhead slightly wheezy. Thankfully, Professor Port held onto my shoulders, keeping me still.

"Steady on, we've only just started." Said Professor Port.

"Thanks," I said as I quashed my upset stomach. "Can you take me through the same route Pyrrha took?"

"But of course, that is the plan after all." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The first location we'll visit is the waterfall. There are still some students milling about campus finishing their extra credit assignments, but nothing too overwhelming like a crowd."

"Right," I nodded. "Let's go then."

Professor Port took the lead as we began walking. He spouted facts whenever we passed a place of interest and constantly brought up tales from his past to keep the silence at bay.

I kept my eyes peeled for anything strange all the while. There must've been something here that prompted Pyrrha to leave. From what I'd gathered, she wasn't the sort to up and leave without a warning. Either something forced her or she uncharacteristically chose to. Mr. Achilles was pretty adamant about her ability to take care of herself, so that left the theory that she left of her own violation.

The courtyard was a large circular area that led to the main entrance of the school. It was so large in fact, that I had trouble finding the edge, but if I squinted hard enough in the dark, the outline of the dormitories could be seen. The ground was lined with engraved symbols, and the sides of the main path had freshly cut grass giving a more natural look to the place. Tall, vintage-style lamps were placed at regular intervals along the main path, giving off an artificial orange glow that only emphasised the zig-zagging shadows and crooked silhouettes. I stared, almost hypnotised at the scene, and squashed the surge of jealousy that swelled within me.

_I'm not here as a Hunter. _I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _I'm here as a detective._

"You see those young ladies?" Professor Port pointed at two girls who were sitting on the bench. "They were here earlier, when Pyrrha was on her tour."

"Really?" I turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "They might know something then."

The one closest to me was wearing a light brown long shirt, but what caught my eye was the pair of sunglasses she wore despite the Sun setting some time ago. Her black beret sat neatly on her head and a purse lay by her crossed legs. The girl beside her had a pair of large rabbit ears and was sporting a dull brown jacket.

I steeled myself and walked up to them.

"Can I help you?" The beret wearing girl said as she lowered her head. Her sunglasses dropped low enough that I could just make out a pair of brown eyes.

"Yes actually, if you don't mind." I gave her a friendly smile. "Professor Port over there," I tilted my head toward the Professor, "mentioned you were both here earlier when Pyrhha was passing by?"

She smirked. "Who's asking?"

"Jaune Arc, at your service," I made an extravagant sweep that I spent hours practicing. Totally worth the time spent. "I'm here on assignment with permission from Headmaster Ozpin."

"R-really!" Her friend, the Faunus girl, let out with a slight stammer. She blinked several times at me. "I wasn't sure you were the real deal but you're actually him." She turned towards the other girl, eyes shining. "Coco, can you believe it? We actually ran into another celebrity!"

The first girl, Coco, gave me a once over, and I suddenly felt rather self-conscious about my plain outfit. It was like walking into a formal party, wearing a track jacket and sweatpants, and immediately running into the hostess. Out of place didn't even begin to describe the awkwardness.

"Not impressed," said Coco distastefully. "Do yourself a favour, and purchase better brands; you look like your mother dresses you."

"Coco!" the Faunus girl scolded. She bowed low and her Faunus ears nearly hit my nose. "I'm sorry about her, she's very blunt when it comes to fashion."

"I'm just being honest, Velvet." The girl said with a shrug as she leaned back.

"It is no problem," I returned the shrug. "I've heard worse online."

"Speaking of, you mind enlightening me on what's true or not?" Asked Coco. "There are some suspicious rumours about you and I don't associate myself with someone who enjoys those sorts of activities."

"Believe what you want, but I'm telling you that I handle all my cases with sincerity and integrity." I answered. "I'm good enough that I don't need to resort to foul play."

"So you say, but I'm not gullible enough to take your word for it."

"Coco..." Velvet trailed off. "It isn't right to judge people based on what you've heard about them. You need to make your own opinions without the influence of others."

I nodded along. She had the right idea, but it was pretty hard to put that in practice. A lot of times, people never bothered to take that extra step; either too busy with their own lives or they just didn't care enough to make the effort. It was easier to believe something someone else had said rather than trying to find out for themselves. People are lazy like that. That's not to say she was wrong of course, only that it was difficult to follow that ideal all the time.

"Thank you for caring." I said. "It's unique to hear words like that nowadays."

Velvet smiled a little wider.

_I think I've just won some points with her._

"Oh, you said you wanted to know about Pyrhha, right?" Velvet said eagerly. "We saw her here earlier with her manager. She was dressed in her signature outfit so we spotted her easily and I pointed her out to Coco and my other friends. We were all really ecstatic about it; Coco of course, had to put it online as soon as possible."

_I guess I found who posted on Celebrity Tracker._

"Um, what else?" Velvet placed a finger on her chin. "We chatted some more, laughed, had fun and we left before Pyrrha did."

"I see. Did you see anything strange?"

"Strange?" Velvet frowned. "I don't think so, but one thing did stand out to me. We were on the far side of the court so I might be wrong, but when I met her eyes she looked, I don't know, like she wanted to talk to us. Like she just arrived home and no one was there to greet her back. That kind of thing?" She pulled her jacket tighter. "I'm not sure how to say it but I guess she looked lost? I'm really sorry but I don't know how else to put it." She blushed under my scrutiny.

"That's plenty." I assured her. "Well, if that's all, thank you for the help."

"My pleasure," said Velvet with a smile.

I turned towards Coco, but she wasn't looking at me.

"Velvet, where's that bag I bought you?" She said suddenly.

"Huh?" Her ears perked up to their full length. Her head swiveled around, and her eyes became frantic. "Ahh, I-I lost it. I must've forgotten to pick it up back at the library…" She checked the time on her scroll. "The library should still be open, I'll go fetch it quickly."

She hurried off leaving me with just Coco.

"So I'll be off now. Thank you again." I made my way to leave.

Coco sighed. "Wait."

I threw a glance over my shoulders. "Yes? Something I can help you with?"

"I know it might look I'm judging you harshly, but I've seen enough people wearing a facade to recognise the signs of one. It might fool Velvet, but I could tell you were a fake from just your television appearances."

"Where is this going?" Some irritation leaked into my voice. "I'm on a case, and if all you're doing is badgering me, then I'm leaving."

She folded her arms. "That's not to say I think you're a bad person. I'm betting you have your reasons but that doesn't earn my trust." She flashed me a wan smile.

A pause stretched out, and I began to wonder if she would speak again.

"You want to know how you can make me believe you're the real deal, that you're actually acting with no ill intentions?" If anything, her smile grew wider. "Take a walk with me."

She strolled off, and I hurried to join her side. I debated on just leaving, but this sounded important enough for me to spare a few minutes.

"I've always liked honest, good people." She began. "The kind who easily and regularly speak their mind. I'm trying to coax Velvet to be more open like that," She revealed. "But it's slow going."

"Oh, is she shy?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

She nodded, and it was then I that noticed her smile had vanished. "Almost painfully so. She was badly bullied by some idiotic creeps because she's a Faunus. It made her withdrawn, preferring to hide in large crowds so she wouldn't be singled out." She sighed and there was a hint of anger in her voice as she continued. "If she didn't end up on the same team as me I'm betting she would still be that same hopeless girl."

I stayed quiet, letting her sort out her words.

Coco stopped, looking up at the stars. "Even now as her best friend, she _still_has trouble talking about her past. She likes to play it off and for the most part my two other teammates believe her, but it's in moments of solitude when her memories come biting back that she reveals her pain."

She started walking abruptly again, and I picked up the pace to keep up. "I once walked in on her when she was like that." The trace of anger from earlier was gone, her voice distant and hollow. "She was slumped on the floor crying out her eyes. When she spotted me, she looked at me like I was a monster about to eat her. If I had condemned her then, I don't think she would have ever fully recovered."

"It's a good thing you didn't."

She snorted. "Obviously, but that's not the point." She turned to face me. Her eyes were still hidden behind her sunglasses, yet I was sure they were plagued with something she didn't want me to see. "Do you know why Velvet doesn't ask for help?"

I shook my head. "No, why?"

"It's because she didn't expect to be helped. Listen, Velvet doesn't expect anyone to stand up for her. No one came to her aid when she was younger and while she's got me, she doesn't ask for my help because she thinks it would bother me." She gripped her fists tightly. "Sometimes that girl is so thick-headed, but you know what? How shit of a childhood do you have to have that when you're in pain, you're first response is to hide it?" She kicked a nearby stone, launching it into an innocent lamppost. A sizable dent was left behind.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. After all, my younger days were never like that. My huge family got along pretty well and whenever we had the time, we would visit the park together. Cliché as it sounded, I remembered my family fondly.

_Hmm, I wonder if Blake still remembers about that promise? Probably not. It was so long ago._

We'd almost looped back to the bench where we began. "It's weird how some guys like that sort of thing." Coco commented. "They find the cute, lost girl all kinds of adorable and want to do their best to 'shield' her. It's in the same vein of a clumsy maid fetish. How can you hate something so pure and innocent right?" She spat on the ground. "It's disgusting really. Do you think it's fun needing to rely on someone else all the time? Do you think that makes you feel happy?" Bitterness crept into her voice. "That being the princess of the white knight is so great? No, all it does is point out their inadequacy. They'll never grow as a person if you coddle them like that."

There wasn't really anything I could say, so I remained silent. There were some people who would actually enjoy that position now that I thought about it, but that isn't what Coco wanted to hear. She was venting and I was merely a humble outlet.

She sat back down on the bench, took off her sunglasses and looked me directly in the eyes. "And that's why I have a request."

Suddenly, an alarm bell rang in my head.

"What request?" I asked warily. After a story like that, it'd be more of a surprise if it wasn't something huge.

Coco shrugged. "It's simple really. I want you to do something about Faunus rights. I want you to make them equal to humans." She said earnestly, her eyes never leaving mine. "I want an environment where people like my friend can grow up without being persecuted for being born with different genes."

I stood stunned, blinking several times. There wasn't a trace of humour on her face; she was dead serious.

"You want me—a detective—to do all that?" I asked, disbelief clear in my voice. "I'm sorry for your friend, but I'm not a politician of any sort."

"But _you_ have influence," she persisted. "The Schnee company listens to _you_. Headmaster Ozpin lets _you_ do as you please. _You_ can get Hunter squads to follow your orders. And don't you dare tell me that your previous cases did nothing. You're _famous_, a figure that everyone not only recognises but _respects_." She snorted. "You could cause a civil war or start a revolution if you really wanted to. _You _are in the position to do so."

I didn't know how to respond to that. How was I supposed to? Here she was, begging me to change years of prejudice. "It's not that easy." I countered. "You can't force a social change that quickly, otherwise some other charismatic person would have done so already."

"Then who do you think _should_ change it? The White Fang?" She scoffed. "Yes, let's pin our hopes on a bunch of terrorist, that will totally go well. Not."

"Look, I understand where you're coming from, but do you even know how many hurdles I'd have to jump over to even begin to propose the idea? I can't blast my way into the council and force them to change things." I shook my head. "That's not how these things work. Change is gradual, heck a lot of people are still against Faunus/human relationships."

"I know that, but are you going to stand back while you can do something? I thought your job is to help people. What are you doing then running away like a coward?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

My temper flared, a vein on my forehead throbbing and my throat immediately seizing up.

"Don't you dare call me a coward." I said coldly. "That's the _last_ thing I am. I've gone through case after case finding the perpetrator. I've dealt with dozens of murderers who are all a hundred times stronger than me. You don't even know an ounce of what I go through."

"Is that all? Pathetic." Coco spat on the ground. "I'm a _Huntress_. I battle monsters that dwarf anything you could have faced." She said derisively. "Your silly detective skills aren't going help when a Goliath steps on you."

I wanted to scream till my throat was sore, to yell at her that I dreamed of being a Hunter as well, fighting to be a hero, vanquishing monsters.

_I never asked for this._

I'm Jaune Arc, and I _will_ be a Hunter.

_This isn't who I really am._

I'd be the very best of this generation, where even my old man could be proud. But before I had the chance to tell Coco any of that, I caught the flickering sight of Velvet's shadow.

"W-What's going on?" said Velvet. She looked between us, obviously taken aback by our close proximity.

I straightened. "Sorry, but I'll be off now. Thank you for your help." I said brusquely before I marched off.

They didn't stop me.

Professor Port's thick brows were furrowed when I got back to him. I suppose he'd heard what we argued about. "Is there a problem, Mr. Arc?"

I sighed. "No, no problem." I scanned the courtyard. The dormitories at the edge were pretty tall but none of the lights were on.

It was then that inspiration struck me like a lightning bolt.

_Where could she go in the three seconds Mr. Achilles turned his head?_

The courtyard was huge, and while Pyrrha was fast, she wasn't nearly fast enough to cross the entire expanse in three seconds. She should have still been in sight.

I stomped hard on the ground. _Solid and sturdy_. If she escaped underground, she likely would've made a lot of noise and I doubt Mr. Achilles would come to me if that was the case.

_So what's left? Flying? Teleportation? Illusions?_

* * *

_I don't know what her Semblance is._

I brought out my scroll, texting Mr. Achilles. He replied within seconds.

**Do not spread this. If you do, consider our contract broken and your payment void. Her semblance is Polarity, in other words, she can manipulate magnetic forces with her mind**.

And with that, another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. I crossed the courtyard to get a closer look at the dormitories. I examined the walls, noting metal pipes, frames, and panels.

This was Pyrhha's first visit to Vale. She doesn't know where anything is, and if she walked carelessly out in public, she would be found out in no time. So, if I were her, and going by the motivations Velvet glimpsed...

I recalled Coco stopping in her walk to look up. The stars were shining brilliantly tonight and the crescent moon was partially obscured by the grey clouds. Millions of pinpricks of light dotted the sky overhead.

The perfect view for a young lady lost in thought.

Now, to find a suitable location. One where she would have both her privacy and a clear view of the sky. My eyes were drawn to the roof.

"Professor Port, would you please lead me to the nearest rooftop?"

I assured Professor Port that I would be fine, and that he should wait for me at the main entrance down below. He was a little bamboozled, but if she was there then I didn't want him to overhear anything. And if she wasn't there, it saved me the embarrassment of having to explain why we were on a roof in the middle of the night.

I pushed open the metal door. The rooftop was surprisingly small to what I had imagined. Maybe there was enough space to spar, but for the most part, it was empty. Heck, the edge wasn't even fenced off, someone could fall from that. Except, Hunters in-training would probably have the coordination to not trip over the edge.

All thoughts were wiped from my head when I zeroed in on a girl with a ponytail sitting by the ledge. Her legs were dangling off the side of the building. She didn't react when I closed the door, or when I walked up to her. When I was a step behind her, she finally got to her feet.

I found her.

I found Pyrrha Nikos.

* * *

**AN: Apologies for the delay but I won't lie. My motivation waned. Having someone necro my thread on spacebattles (link is on my profile) actually reminded me that people were still reading this and made me actually pretty happy so I got up and finished writing things up. Although please don't necro my thread without due cause. This chapter (from around 4500+ words onwards) was written while I was at home, on the coach to the airport, on the airplane itself (which was a 12 + hour flight) while I was in Hong Kong on the 12 +flight back and a bit some more when I returned. I thought many different things for the Jaune, Velvet and Coco scene. At first it was some no-name nobody then I expanded it to Coco. Then I seriously considered a scene where Jaune would cold read (or Sherlock scan) Coco, then I thought they should play a variation of a poker game between Coco and Jaune, then I gave up because I couldn't think of any decent tricks (at least ones that I didn't find acceptable). Then I cut out Coco and added Velvet but I didn't like the scene then finally I was hit upon the idea:**

**Why not both?**

**So that's what you guys ended up with. **

**Yeah.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway.**


	15. Missing Warrior II

**Previously in the last chapter**

I pushed open the metal door. The rooftop was surprisingly small to what I had imagined. Maybe there was enough space to spar, but for the most part, it was empty. Heck, the edge wasn't even fenced off, someone could fall from that. Except, Hunters in-training would probably have the coordination to not trip over the edge.

All thoughts were wiped from my head when I zeroed in on a girl with a ponytail sitting by the ledge. Her legs were dangling off the side of the building. She didn't react when I closed the door, or when I walked up to her. When I was a step behind her, she finally got to her feet.

I found her.

I found Pyrrha Nikos.

**Chapter 15 **

"Hey. So this was where you were." I said.

It was nearly dark on the rooftop, but the gentle moonlight was bright enough for me to make out her delicate features. Like in so many pictures of her, Pyrrha was dressed in her typical outfit styled to resemble a fierce warrior. A sudden wind blew, ruffling her hair, and I wrapped my arms together keeping what warmth I had.

Pyrrha glanced briefly at me. There wasn't any annoyance or even sadness I was expecting, she was just resigned.

"Did my manager hire you to search for me?" She straightened when I confirmed her suspicions. "I did leave without warning. I'll apologise when I arrive back to him." She inclined her head. "Thank you for your services. I shall head back now."

I didn't even have a chance to speak, and she's already leaving.

_Job done then? _

It might be fine to leave it like this. From her attitude, I don't think she'll run off a second time. I found Pyrrha and everyone is happy. I'll get paid, her manager will have her back, and she'll return to her comfy life. By all rights, I should contact Mr Achilles and tell him the good news.

A quiet voice at the back of my mind made me hesitate though. Some indescribable torrent of emotions ran through me. An inexplicable tightness in my chest. A heart-wrenching ache. What was it exactly?

I shook my head. What am I saying? The answer is obvious. I've only gotten a small glimpse into her life and already I can tell that she's not happy.

I looked at her back as she walked away. The distance between us must've only been several steps yet to me it seemed like an endless stretch of space. I raised up my arm but words wouldn't come to my mouth.

_"She has many co-workers but none spring to mind when I think of a personal friend."_

_"Pyrrha is apparently a very lonely person."_

_"We were on the far side of the court so I might be wrong, but when I met her eyes she looked, I don't know, like she wanted to talk to us. Like she just arrived home and no one was there to greet her back. That kind of thing?" _

I don't want it to end like this.

She'll go back in the judging eyes of the public. She'll be strangled by her routine, alone without a chance to make connections. Maybe that's why she chose to attend Beacon, a new start means new people. She could leave her old past behind in Mistral and like the name, she could begin with a beacon of hope. Maybe it would even work, maybe she'll settle with her new teammates.

"Hold on," I caught up to her.

She pulled back and turned to face me with a look in confusion. "Yes? Is there something else?"

I wet my dry lips and said nothing.

"Well?" she pressed.

My throat dried. What if I was wrong? What if I was just projecting false issues on her? What if I just made it worse? Am I just creating problems out of nothing? All these thoughts tumbled in my mind like a wild tornado, but through the haze there was one clear idea. That I can't be the person who says 'it's fine' and call it a day. I don't want to be the guy that stands back as others gets bullied.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" I blurted.

Her movements stiffened for a second and that's when I knew I hit bullseye.

"I wanted to explore further and lost track of time. It was unprofessional of me and again, I deeply apologise."

I shook my head. "No, that's not the reason. Please don't lie to me."

Her lips pressed into a thin line and she fixed me with a serious stare. "I think I rather keep the reason to myself. I know it is your profession to dig up these sorts of information, but my personal feelings in the matter do not concern you." Her words were as sharp as a knife and I flinched from the force of them.

"They might not concern me as a detective, but they do concern me as a person. I know people don't run away for no reason. A lot of people hide away their thoughts and let it fester until it blows. So Pyrrha, I'm asking again because I want to help you about it."

She looked at me again, really looked at me and bit the bottom of her lip.

Hope welled up in my chest. Just maybe, I might be able to get her to open up.

My scroll rang out causing both of us to blink.

"Ah, excuse me." I fished the offending item out of my pocket and gave it a glare. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I smiled nervously back. I glanced at the screen. The caller ID was Mr Archilles himself, guess he's itching for information. I answered the call, lifting the scroll so the camera wouldn't face Pyrrha.

"Hello, Mr Achilles. How are you?" I greeted as his face appeared.

"I am fine," he grunted back, "more importantly, have you achieved any results?"

Pyrrha and my eyes met. There was a lengthy silence where everything and nothing was said. I knew she could perfectly hear every word, but I wanted to see how she would react to it.

"It's going well." I said, breaking our eye contact. Pyrrha's face fell. "I have a promising lead so do not worry about it. I guarantee that, at the very latest, I'll bring her to you by the end of tomorrow."

Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"Tomorrow?" He gave a measured nod. "Very well that is acceptable. Her scheduled appearance will be in two days time so she should have enough time to prepare herself."

"Excellent. I shall contact you whenever I have further news then."

He nodded once more and the screen blinked shut.

"Why did you-" She worked her words out.

"Not tell your manager I found you? Simple, I care more about your well being than my job. And anyway, my dad will skin me alive if he found out I abandoned a girl."

She sucked in a breath. Maybe I'm being optimistic but I do mean it. My job is a way of helping people, and there's no way in five million years that I'm dropping this.

She opened her mouth to say something but abruptly closed it again.

"You OK, Pyrrha?"

She laughed quietly enough that the slow wind obscured it. "Yes, yes, I mean I'm fine. It's just... I'm speechless. I never expected any of this and now that it has happened, I find myself at a loss of what to do."

I shrugged. "Do what makes you happy."

She smiled again. A deeper smile this time—one full of gratefulness. "Then can you spare some time to talk? I think...I think I need to get something off my chest," she paused, "and it's not exactly often I get a chance to chat with someone more famous than me."

I laughed. "I'm not that famous."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Mister clever detective doesn't realise his reputation? There's a limit to modesty."

Her words eerily echoed Coco's earlier, but I shook off the feeling of déjà vu. "If you say so."

A breeze blew between us and Pyrrha swept away a stray piece of hair.

"Every single day of my life since I won my first tournament, I've been given endless praises. I was the new upcoming prodigy; the next rising star. All of a sudden, the world had its spotlights on me and I went from a nobody to a celebrity. It was startling. I had fans asking for autographs and people constantly calling to interview me; it was all so overwhelming and I couldn't handle it. I had my parents hire a manager to deal with it all—Mr Achilles. I believe you know what sort of man he is. He dealt with it quickly and efficiently. For a moment, I could breathe easy and relax. Of course, my family were proud of me and for a time so was I. I was being recognised for the hard work I put into my training, who wouldn't be happy about that?"

She fell silent. I waited for her to regain her wits.

"Even if I was a tournament champion, I still had to attend school. I haven't seen my friends since the tournament as I was busy with my new status. I couldn't wait to meet with them again and tell them all about it. I remember that day had clear sunshine. I suppose I was optimistic, work was work but friends are what made the day infinitely better. I arrived to class with a bright smile and looked towards my friends. They were huddled together and I joined them. For a moment no one spoke. They all stared at me in awe as if I was an angel descending. I was uncomfortable with the treatment, but that faded away as they started babbling about my tournament victory. That was my first glimpse of what my life was about to become, but I was fifteen at the time and I wasn't the most mature person so I did let a little of the worship get to my head."

I couldn't help it. I let out a laugh. Pyrrha had the decency to look embarrassed.

"It's fine," I said, waving her concerns off, "everyone has something they're embarrassed about, especially when they're younger."

"Yes well," she coughed lightly, "suffice to say, I'd became popular. I loathe to admit it now, but I thought myself as the queen of Sactum back then or rather I actually was depending on who you asked. It wasn't anything that bothered me until one day, I think around a year later, a stray thought hit me. I can't exactly recall what I was doing at the time but I remember I stopping in my tracks. It wasn't a great revelation or anything of that nature, but it had occurred to me that I haven't spent much time with my friends outside of school. It was all training or planning for an upcoming event. What time I did have with them was always strained by my newfound reputation and my naive ignorance. It didn't bother me much at first. I was busy; it was understandable I would have to make some small sacrifices."

She clenched her fists until they were white.

"But the thought kept plaguing me. When I'm in the middle of a conversation, my mind would drift there. During my training or when I'm eating with my family, it didn't stop. I was starting to see just how shallow my relationships were. Before my fame, I could spontaneously invite my friends for some ice cream at a local parlour but now I can't even spend a day out without some friction there. I don't like to say it but I didn't have anyone I could really talk with."

I let out a heavy breath. This sounded more like a confession than a conversation.

"Somehow in the process of becoming the 'queen', I pushed away those around me. My old friends were now more like guards defending me from those deemed 'unworthy'. In other words, other people didn't dare approach me. I told them countless times to stop but it never changed no matter how much I explained. After a while...I gave up. I went day to day dutifully completing my tasks and before I knew it another year had passed. Telling you it now, I suppose it all sounds so trite, but who you associated yourself with, very much affected others view of you. I had an irrational fear that if I broke the status quo, I would lose all that I gained. I hid my fears well enough from my 'friends', I kept up the smiles, kept up my status and skills but I was locked in a prison of my own doing. I had no one but myself."

Her voice grew very small as she finished.

"This all still happens now, only on a larger scale. That's why I plan to attend Beacon academy, not because of its prestige or because my manager suggested it but because I wanted a new start, that's all I ever wanted." A pause from her. "I have to ask, how do you deal with all of-" She swung her arms about. "-this?"

It didn't take me to be a detective to understand her meaning. Despite that, I still confirmed what she meant.

"The popularity?" I asked. She nodded. I slunk back against the cold wall and really put my mind to it. Truthfully I never put much thought on it. It happened because it happened and rather than waste time, I rolled with it and moved on. If a fan comes up to me, I would smile and shake hands with them. I'm adaptable I guess? Yeah, sometimes it was annoying like when it got in the way of my investigations but I never felt isolated from anyone.

_I guess I have Adam to thank for that. His bluntness does have its own charm. _

I glanced over at her. I had her undivided attention. It sucked because it probably wasn't the answer she was looking for.

_Or maybe it was?_

Back when I was starting out, I had the company of some of my sisters before they left. In fact, I was too busy dealing with the fallout of my first case and the whole thing involving Blake that I didn't pay attention to the times where it was just me in the house. On the days where I did do my job, I would drop down on my bed utterly exhausted from all the work involved. But there were days where it seemed nothing happened, on those slow days it was boring being by myself. If events hadn't progressed as well as it did, and I never found Adam or I never hired a bodyguard, I might've really suffered from the isolation.

"Adam." I said at last.

"Who?" She looked at me a confused look.

"Adam," I repeated. "He's my bodyguard and even if the stubborn guy doesn't like to admit it, he's my friend. If I made some discovery, he would always be there to listen," I smirked, "even if he didn't like to."

Her lips curved upwards into a gentle smile yet a tinge of melancholy dimmed its brightness.

"It looks like you have a good friend." she said meaningfully.

"Yeah, he's a good guy. Maybe I could introduce him to you later. He's a bit grumpy but once you get past that he's a real nice guy."

"He sounds like quite a character. I look forward to it."

"Yeah well, don't tell him any of the stuff I told you tonight. It's a bit embarrassing to admit."

She readily agreed.

"But what I'm trying to get at here isn't that there's some special method to deal with your popularity, that's not going to go away. Really it's the friends around you that make the path easier to walk and uh," I scratched my head sheepishly, "if you need a friend then I'm open to having more."

I offered a hand and hopefully a winning smile.

Pyrrha stared at my open hand for a second before gripping it more softly than I expected. Her hands were warm.

"Thank you." she said quietly.

We stayed silent, simply admiring the night sky.

"Ah, that reminds me. Where are you planning to sleep tonight?" I said curiously.

She startled before replying. "I am staying at a hotel room. My manager also has a room there. I was planning to return before it got too dark but now that he's expecting me tomorrow, I can't exactly head there." She glanced at me, uncertainty in her eyes.

"If you want, there's a spare room at my agency. It was meant for a co-worker of mine but, well she's at the hospital right now so it's empty."

She made an aborted motion before shaking her head.

"No, I can't possibly impose on you further. I'll head to another hotel and stay there for the night."

"Are you sure? I mean it's really no trouble."

"Yes, it will be fine."

I wanted to press the issue but then again, she might need some time alone to deal with everything that happened today.

"All right but I should at least get you some basic necessities. You're too easily recognisable to buy them without someone noticing."

Again, she hesitated before nodding. "That would be good. Thank you."

"No problem and I know just the perfect low-key hotel, just give me a sec to call Adam." I took out my scroll, finding his number. He picked it up after a few rings. From the background, I could tell he was still in the agency watching television.

_Why do I pay this guy again?_

Adam grunted as a way of greeting. "Everything OK? You've been gone for awhile now."

"Yeah, things are good. I found Pyrrha but she needs some stuff for the night. Bring the bathroom essentials and some pyjamas. Oh hang on a sec," I faced Pyrrha. "Do you have money to pay for a room?"

She pulled out a big, fat roll of notes from her pocket. "I believe I have enough."

I raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cash. "Yeah, no kidding." I turned back to Adam. "Bring some casual clothes as well, ones that might fit Pyrrha's size."

"Why?" said Pyrrha. "Am I not heading straight back tomorrow morning?"

"Actually Pyrrha, I was thinking that we should just hang out tomorrow. Forget about work, you know? Relax and have fun. Anyway, you and I look too distinctive so we're gonna go incognito."

"Are you sure, I mean I would love to but-"

"Go on," I encouraged, "let yourself have a break."

She wavered before smiling. "Oh, alright. One day wouldn't hurt."

"Awesome! Let's go and have some fun!"

Pyrrha giggled. "That sounds lovely."

I turned back to the scroll when Adam spoke up. He was raising his eyebrows.

"Jaune, you do realise I don't know her size."

"Make an educated guess, shouldn't be too hard right? Blake looks to be a bit shorter than her so find something bigger."

I heard a sigh on the other end. "There aren't any shops open at this time. Where the hell am I supposed to find woman clothes?"

"Ask my sisters?"

His face turned sour. "What kind moron do you think I am? In what world would anyone lend their clothes to a man my age?"

"This world?"

"Look, I'll just lend her some of my clothes."

"Yeah but your clothes kinda..." Adam glared at me. "...stand out."

"If you don't mind..." Pyrrha interrupted our conversation. "Perhaps if you supply some pyjamas for tonight and then tomorrow we could buy more fitting clothes."

"Sounds like a plan. You hear that Adam?"

"Loud and clear. Does she want Blake's or my pyjamas."

"What about Jaune's?" she asked.

Adam grimaced. "You want to use that monstrosity? I'm doing you a favour and discounting it for you."

"Hey!" I shouted. Naturally my cries went ignored by him. I really do wonder sometimes if he has an off button for his hearing.

"I'll borrow Blake's then." she said. "Oh and I must thank her later for this."

"Then we could visit the hospital as well then. Adam, meet up at the airport with a car ready. Oh and bring some of that leftover food in the fridge and my big trench coat, it's getting cold now."

"Alright I'll see you then."

The screen blinked shut and I shifted the scroll back into my pocket.

"We should head back as well," I said. "Professor Port is still around. He should be able to pilot us back home quickly enough."

She nodded and followed me along down the stairs.

* * *

Professor Port was where I last saw him by the main entrance. His eyes lit up and he approached us when he spotted Pyrrha.

"Quite the hound aren't you! It has been merely hours and you already sniffed out her location." He winked at me. "Had a long talk I presume?"

"Uh yeah we did I guess," I scratched the back of my head, "but we should really head back. It's getting late after all."

"Indeed, a diligent person knows when to rest. Very well, come, follow me. The Bullhead is this way."

We walked off towards where the bullhead landed earlier.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you Professor Port," said Pyrrha at once. "I didn't realise that my selfishness would cause you so much inconvenience."

"Nonsense, child." He chasted. "You may be dedicating yourself to a very serious profession but people, and especially Hunters, are allowed to have wants and needs."

I mostly stayed out of their conversation, answering minimally when brought into the conversation, but I listened intently to every word. I'm glad that professor Port didn't ask any further probing questions on Pyrrha's disappearance. It would only complicate matters. Professor Port will probably inform the higher staff like the headmaster but nothing really transpired so there shouldn't be any issues. Soon enough we reached the bullhead and settled ourselves into our seats. Before long we were in the air again.

* * *

At this time of night, the airport was not empty but something approaching it—which was good for us. Didn't want to draw any attention to ourselves after all. People didn't want to travel the skies at night when a giant man-eating bird could hide in them. Sunlight is a blanket of safety to the civilians. Course hunters disregard common sense like that all the time.

By the time the ride ended, I practically threw myself out the doors. I landed on fours on the hard gravel and I took a deep breath. Pyrrha kindly rubbed my back and I gave her a weak smile. Adam, having already arrived and leaning on the car, snorted at my utter lack of composure.

"Not good in the air?" she asked.

"About as well as a fish out of water." I hugged the ground. "Oh gravel, I missed you so much."

"You know, you're not what I imagined to be. The stories I hear picture a suave man with eyes sharp enough to cut yourself on."

"You mean I'm not suave? I have to insist that I'm the most charming man you'll ever meet. My fan-club says so."

She giggled. "According to my fan-club, I'm a brute who'll punish any who dares look at me the wrong way. I don't believe that accurately describes me but it may be best to think twice where you tread."

I huffed out. "Fine, don't believe me. Just because I'm not pulling out my charming public persona doesn't mean regular old me isn't enough to win over a girl's heart."

"Persona?"

"Oh right! You don't know." I got off the ground and dusted away the dirt clinging to my clothes."Basically, I just act like someone who knows what they're doing. Half the time I'm just making educated guesses. It's a real wonder how I succeeded for so long really." I shrugged my arms. "I'm stuck with it anyway ever since my first case with the murder of that blackmailer."

"Speaking of which," she turned towards me, a gleam in her eyes. "I'm interested in hearing your side of it. I fear the papers wouldn't do it justice."

"Eh, I'll tell you tomorrow, it's kind of a long story." I glanced over at the impatient Adam. "Let's get in the car. Adam's looking more annoyed by the minute."

"You bet your ass I am!" He shouted. "It's freezing out here!"

I hurried my way over after I said my goodbyes to professor Port. I asked him to keep a tight lid on what happened today and he assured me he would.

"Here's your damned food and trench coat," Adam tossed it my way and I handed them to Pyrrha. She looked at the items blankly.

"To hide yourself and dinner for tonight. Fork is already inside." I explained. "Don't want anyone recognising you yet and you don't exactly look warm in your outfit."

She accepted my reasoning and donned my trench coat. I had to stifle a laugh. It was like a child struggling on some oversized clothes. At least it hid her figure well.

I dutifully got in the car and Pyrrha followed along.

"So Pyrrha huh?" said Adam

"It's a pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to drive us."

He gave an indifferent shrug. "Someone's got to. Jaune can't drive so it has to be me." He turned the keys and the car rumbled to life. "Where are we headed?"

"Vale lodgings, our dear taxi driver." I said, after we slid on our seat belts. "Nice rooms, out of the busy streets and not many people go there. It's in the quiet neck of town. Should be the perfect place for the night."

I know because that's where Blake hid after she defected from the White Fang.

We had to drive through the long tunnel in the mountain before we reached the main roads. A remnant from the days of the war where it was used as a shelter from attacks of both man and grimm. Even now, it can temporally act as an emergency refuge in case fighting broke out.

Pyrrha didn't seem to be in the mood to talk and rested her head on the window. Orange lights flashed by in quick succession shading her visage. A girl lost in thoughts came to mind when I looked at her, not unlike Blake in her silent moments.

I didn't want to disturb her so I chatted with Adam. Before I knew it, he pulled into the recognisable street that housed the hotel. He parked the car and got out along with Pyrrha. I stayed in.

"You're not coming along?" asked Pyrrha.

"Nah, I don't want to draw attention to you. Too easily recognisable, remember? Just stay hidden in that coat and let Adam do the paying."

"So I have to settle everything?" He raised an eyebrow. "Typical."

"Hey, no cheekiness from you today. We're on a mission."

He sighed and adjusted the contents of the bag that contained the toiletries and pyjamas.

I turned to Pyrrha. "We'll pick you up at around 9 am with better suited clothes. You have mine and Adam's number so don't hesitate to call us if you need help."

"Yes, thank you again." She smiled before following Adam in.

I sat bored as I waited. There weren't many people milling about outside in the street. A late night jogger, an occasional car passing by. I spotted a man in a thick dark coat sitting on the bench fidgeting with something in his hands. It was too dark to make out what it was.

Eventually Adam came back, breaking the monotony.

"How'd it go?" I asked as he entered.

"Went fine. She handed me a roll of cash. I don't know what she did to get it but she can sign me up for it."

"Comes with winning tournaments I guess." A loud yawn escaped my throat. "Man, after a day like today I'm beat. I think I'm gonna hit the bed when I get back home."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that as well."

Adam dropped me off outside the agency. After I bid him farewell, I checked my scroll for any messages. During the plane ride, Pyrrha and I exchanged numbers. There were two unread messages, one from Pyrrha and funnily enough one from Ram, the journalist I met earlier today.

_How did Ram even get my number? This is my private scroll for personal use._

I brushed off the thought in favour of Pyrrha's message. I half expected her to send one. I clicked the text and it popped up in the usual animation. It read:

**Hello, Pyrrha here. Thank you again for what you're doing, I appreciate the effort you're taking for me. I forgot to mention but please don't say anything about the topic we talked about on the roof. It is a private matter and not something I would like spreading.**

**As for the clothes you'll purchase for me, my preference and sizes are...**

The text went on detailing on more personal stuff. I just knew some hardcore fans would pay big bucks for info like this. Once I buy the clothes I better delete this text just in case someone catches it. It goes without saying but I won't be spilling the beans on her personal life.

As for Ram's text:

**Greetings my fellow detective! I would've waited for your reply but I just got too excited! I had to take the initiative. What's the saying? He who strikes first, wins? Something like that anyway. It's just you lead such an amazing and exciting and wonderful life, I love hearing about everything and anything and I can't stand waiting another minute of it. My hand just twitches, bugging me to write a story down. **

**I would be absolutely, positively 100% be delighted if we could meet up for an interview. Respond soon! I would hate it for me to be left checking my scroll every five minutes in hopes of a reply.**

An interview? It's not like I'm opposed to it I guess. Shouldn't hurt to humour her. I'll send a proper response tomorrow morning when I'm not as tired. I am curious to how she got my number so I'll ask her when we meet up. Worst comes to worst and she leaks it, I'll buy a new scroll.

I shut the door behind me and clipped off my shoes. I stretched my back, feeling the satisfying clicks in my spine and headed off to bed. I need to be refreshed to face the coming morning.

* * *

The cloudless morning arrived bright and sunny. I sent a text to Ram about meeting her tomorrow. About 20 seconds passed before I got a reply from her. She really must've been looking forward to my interview. We set a time for it and promptly pushed out of my mind. Pyrrha's not the only one who could use a break.

Grabbing a new jacket, I called Adam to pick me up. Of course since I didn't want to be disturbed today, I disguised myself in my incognito form. I still had Crocea Mors hidden under my jacket in case of an emergency but no one could spot it. To the average eye, I would be some brown haired man who limped slightly. One of my pre-selected identities. I walked a few streets over from the agency, checked if I was being tailed and finding no one got in Adam's car. Adam, being used to my disguises, didn't bat an eye at my sudden entrance.

"I never thought there would come a day where I would go clothes shopping for girls with you." said Adam. He shook his head. "I've reached a new low."

"Don't be such a drama queen. I'm paying for everything. My bank accounted is way too loaded anyway. It'd be nice to splurge."

"Of course you complain about too much money." Adam turned the key and the car rumbled to life. Seconds later and we were on the road. "You're not going to make me carry all the bags, are you?"

"Uh, maybe? I'll carry some at least."

"I just wish you learn how to drive already and save me the hassle."

"I'll get to it eventually, it's on my to do list at least. You know where that paintballing centre is? The one where we could use our own weapons and aura? I think we should all go there."

"I know where it is. I passed it often."

"And I was thinking. We should be on different teams."

He turned his quizzical face at me. It was a bit odd since we were always a pair. Everywhere I went, he would usually follow.

"You sure you want to go into a match with me? I may use a sword but I know my way around the gun as well. You won't stand a chance."

I glowered at his smirk.

"You say that now, but I've been training quite hard recently. Who knows, maybe I don't need a bodyguard anymore?"

"Haven't you only been taught by that Goodwitch woman for a day and only on basic stances?" He looked at me like I was an idiot.

"A day is all it takes."

"Keep blowing all the hot air you want. In the end, I'll personally show you where you stand."

"I'll even bet on it." Adam raised an intrigued eyebrow. "If you score higher than me I'll give you a pay rise."

"I'll hold you on that. You're going to regret making such a foolish decision." Adam pulled the car to a stop and we headed to the rather exquisite shop called 'Wands and Weavers'. "Wait, are you using me as an excuse to dump your excess money?"

* * *

Clothes shopping was what I expected—pretty boring really. Find some high end shop at the city centre and looks for something appropriate. Turns out Pyrrha's preference in clothing are pretty tame making it easy to find ones she'll like. I hope so anyway, I could send a few pictures but somehow I got the feeling she would be fine with anything I picked. I did it anyway and waited for her response on my scroll. Meanwhile Adam picked out another suit that was nearly identical to the one he likes wearing at the agency. He'll probably go into a long tirade about the fine difference if I pointed it out.

It might be early but the shop was moderately busy for such hours. My eyes roved around the collection of goods. Shelves of overpriced fabric, sorry I mean clothes, was sorted neatly in piles. A few people stared longer than necessary at Adam but it bothered him about as much as pebbles on the ground.

My eyes drifted to a collection of hats, hung neatly on hooks. One, a baseball cap, caught my eyes. I grabbed it off the hook and paid for it along with the rest of the clothes, including Adam's brand new suit. I stood rigid as the female cashier reached my purchases of bras and underwear. She flickered her furrowed eyes at me and I didn't dare meet them. She stared seconds longer and the heat in my cheek rose. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she reluctantly scanned the items in. I let out a sigh of relief when we left the store. That was an experience I didn't want to go through again.

I texted Pyrrha that we'll be arriving soon and Adam drove us off. Adam led me to her room and knocked on the door. It clicked open and she peered out. Recognising us, she let us in. Blake's pyjamas did in fact look a bit small on her. The nightwear barely reached over her ankles. I passed her the bag of purchases and she peeked at the contents.

"It's all in there." I said. "If you don't like it we could return it."

"No, it's fine. These are perfectly good to wear." She thanked us again and went to the bathroom to get changed.

"You got her breakfast?" I asked.

"Right here." Adam pulled up a bag of bagels and sandwiches. I didn't know what fillings she'd like so we simply bought every single mixture.

"Good, I can't believe I forgot to get breakfast. Good thing you reminded me."

"Always happy to point out your flaws."

A few minutes went by and Pyrrha came out in her new clothes. Her hair was let down instead of her usual ponytail and she was sporting jeans and a loose jacket over her pale grey shirt.

"Here." I handed her the baseball cap I bought earlier. "Think of it as a gift."

"Oh! Thank you." She tucked her hair and placed it neatly on her head.

I gave her a once over. She was still recognisable as her image but her fashion style was different enough to put away any initial thoughts of relation. I picked muted colours because they don't stand out but that didn't diminish any of Pyrrha's sense of presence.

_Must be the power of stardom. _

"Looks good," I said, smiling, "but you're still too recognisable with your hair. Maybe put it in a bun or braid it?"

She took my suggestion and balled her hair. She stopped for a second, before she began to braid her hair.

"It's been years since I braided my hair—not since I was a child," she explained, "I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to see what I looked like now."

Her braided twin tails hung on both shoulders, letting a trail of criss-crossed hair reach past her chest. She looked...more childish? More innocent? Her eyes had the gleam that I would come to expect from Ruby. It was hard to pinpoint, but the air around her changed.

She finished up by placing her baseball cap back on.

I blinked, not comprehending the transformation in front of me. Was this still the same girl? The only indication of her previous state was her red hair and intense green eyes.

"Are you hungry?" asked Adam. He held up the bag of food. "We bought far too much for us to eat."

She eyed the bag like a hungry wolf. Adam took one look at her then the bag and quickly passed it over to her.

"Take it." He said.

She glanced at him as if asking for permission before devouring the bagel in the most ladylike fashion possible. It was gone within seconds. The sandwiches were her next victim and they too were eaten in moments.

_Wow is she starving._

"Jaune," whispered Adam, "she's on her seventh sandwich."

"Hunters do need a lot of energy." I whispered back.

"But _seven sandwiches_."

"OK," she said a little breathlessly. "I'm ready to leave."

As it turns out she ate all but two sandwiches and three bagels. There were originally ten each. I suspect it was because she left them for us or she didn't like them. Maybe both.

"Uh, right. First, we're gonna visit Blake who is at the hospital. You and Adam will head first then once the coast is clear I'll come after. If anyone asks if your Pyrrha Nikos, smile at them and say 'I get that a lot'. They'll just assume you look like her and not the actual person. It's a trick I sometimes use because nobody believes they're lucky enough to meet a celebrity when they're walking down the street."

"Won't the staff question my presence there?" she asked.

"It's fine, Adam and I have been there so many times that they won't really question us bringing a friend." I lost count of how many time I visited Blake now.

I told her the plan for the day and she happily agreed to go paintballing. We helped her gather her possessions and left the hotel.

* * *

Adam dropped me off a block or two from the hospital. I waited five minutes before following on. I left my brown wig in the car. It's not really right to disguise myself at a place of healing.

A few fans, autographs and pictures later, I arrived at the entrance to the hospital. On my way there I saw a man in a car fiddling with his camera. Probably waiting for me. Funnily enough he didn't even glance my way as I walked by his car. I suppose people sometimes lack awareness of their surroundings.

I greeted the lady at the desk with a smile.

"Visiting Blake again?" she asked as she shuffled some papers. "She's a very lucky girl."

"Got to take care of my employees right? I take it that she's still in the same room?"

"Correct as always. I believe your friends are already there."

I said my thanks and headed up the now familiar stairs. I knocked the door twice before ducking my way in. Pyrrha and Blake was in a middle of a conversation. They stopped at my entrance. Pyrrha smiled warmly at me and Blake...

There was something hot and cold in her eyes. A guarded expression that reminded me all too well of when I first met her. Like a dagger, gleaming in the moonlight about to strike with blurring swiftness. For a moment, my legs tensed ready to leap away from the oncoming attack.

Then it disappeared.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding.

_What in the world was that?_

"Jaune?" It was Adam. He was frowning at me.

"Huh yeah?"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Just a bit annoyed by my fans again. I had to write more autographs."

"Right..." I can tell Adam was suspicious, but he let it go.

I looked at Blake again but she was the same as always. Her eyes largely indifferent to the world around her. Did I imagine it?

"Jaune, you're friends with Mr Schnee right?" said Blake. I scrambled at the fact that Blake initiated a conversation, which was rare even before being hospitalised.

"Yeah, he likes to invite me to parties. I even met his daughters a few times. He's a pretty stoic guy but he sees me in good light."

"And it's always been that way since your first case?" she pressed.

"Y-yeah. Do you remember anything about it?"

"Only what I know from the newspapers I've read."

"You still haven't told me how the case went." said Pyrrha. "Maybe now would be a good time for you to tell?"

"Sure," I said, "we got time."

* * *

I glanced at the clock. It was early but if we want to be on time for my appointment we would need to be at the paintball centre in about an hour's time.

"We should get going. We do have a planned trip to the paintball centre." I reminded.

"Of course," said Pyrrha. She turned to Blake. "It was a pleasure talking to you. I wish you well in recovering your lost memories."

"Thank you." said Blake simply. Adam led his exit with Pyrrha following along as planned beforehand. It was now just me and Blake in the room.

I discreetly observed her, looking for signs for anything off. When I first talked to her, she was a closed off girl. Her thoughts and emotions were difficult to discern, but I knew she had good intentions. Otherwise she wouldn't have risked so much to contact me and defect from the White Fang.

Some people found it unnerving to keep quiet when there's company but for Blake that was just who she is. I didn't find that silent, introverted aspect of her uncomfortable at all—rather I found it reassuring. It's so her that it would make me uneasy if she started acting like Ruby or Yang. Still, it would be nice to see her smile more often. Come to think of it, when _was _the last time I saw her smile. I wracked my brain for any memory of the event but I came up blank.

_I have got to change that._

"Don't you have to leave? I'm sure they are waiting for you." Blake's voice cut me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me." I smiled at her and prepared to leave. Before shutting the door, I twisted to face her.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can I see you smile?"

"..."

She looked a little lost for words. Thinking on it now, it _is_ a bit forward. I don't want to make her awkward or uncomfortable. Then, like hooks were being dragged up her lips, she formed an approximation of a smile. It was quite possibly the most evil smile I had the grace to see. The kind where you flash to your enemies just as you're about to grind them to dust.

In other words, Blake is not very good at smiling. It's kind of sad and funny at the same time.

"Huh, well then." I said. "I won't be forgetting _that_ any time soon."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She frowned.

"That I won't be forgetting it? It's rare to see you smile, that's all."

She kept silent.

"I have to be off now. Recover soon, the agency needs you."

She hesitantly nodded and I shut the door. Now to meet up with Adam and Pyrrha.

* * *

I should probably say that I have never paintballed before. Never had a chance to when I was a kid and it never really crossed my mind until I saw the poster for the opening. There was the option of the funfair but I picked paintballing since it was the closest I was ever going to get for a simulated combat without any risk of death. Despite being my day off, I am a weak fighter and I know I can't rely on Adam forever. I am going to lose this but I need Adam to take this seriously so I know just how far the gap between us is.

We walked in and the receptionist greeted us. Once we made our payment we were herded to the changing rooms with our camouflaged uniforms. A quick change later and we were waiting for Pyrrha to come out. I had ditched my disguise since keeping a fake wig on while running was just a pain.

"Do you think she ran into some trouble?" asked Adam.

"I hope not. I told her to call us if she does."

As if summoned, she appeared out the doors with her new uniform. She already had her headgear on and was already wielding her new paint gun.

But that wasn't what caught my eye. A shorter girl was trailing behind her and upon spotting me waved excitedly at us.

"Ruby?!" I shouted. Wearing the camouflaged uniform like Pyrrha, she dashed towards us.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" said Ruby as she smiled.

"Same reason as you I bet." I returned a disbelieving smile. This girl really has some strange luck.

"Did you guys see the new aura allowed paintball match as well?!" She squealed when I nodded, jumping a few times. "My uncle and sister is here as well and I can show off how much I improved this year. Where are they anyway? They should be nearby." She searched the area. "Have you guys seen them? My sister is blonde, taller than me, likes making puns. Uncle wears a cool cloak and is probably drinking something."

"Sorry. Me, Adam and Eve over there," I pointed at Pyrrha who was going by Eve for now, "just got here."

She sighed. "It's fine, they'll show up when they need to." Her eyes darted to my weapons, Crocea Mors. "Bringing in the classics? They're awesome as well."

I lifted Crocea Mors up. "I think I'm just going to bring my shield. I can't carry a paintgun, sword and shield in two hands."

"Is Adam using his sword again?" asked Ruby.

"Yes," replied Adam, "it would be a waste to not use it."

"And Eve?" Ruby gave a pointed look at Pyrrha.

"I'll be using the standard gear. Unfortunately my weapons are out of commission."

"Oh no," cried Ruby. "They're not damaged are they?"

"No, nothing like that. I simply don't have them on me right now."

"Ah OK," she breathed a sigh of relief. "So how did you meet Jaune and Adam?"

Pyrrha caught my eye and I nodded. "We met during a case." said Pyrrha. "He helped me out with a problem I had and from there we decided to go this paintball centre."

"Yeah, it definitely looks fun right! Oh I hope I can look over all their weapons, they're so cool."

She had stars in her eyes now. I laughed and shook my head. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

"Hey, stop running off all by yourself. You're giving me a headache." A man voice cut into our conversation. He had black slick hair and a small stubble. He glanced over at me and dismissed me with a snort.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby ran up to him and hugged him tightly. If Ruby had a tail, it would be wagging right about now. They broke off but Ruby couldn't stay still.

"Who would have thought the great detective would grace us with his presence?" The man said as he took a sip from his flask of...alcohol? "Tell me, is Schnee proud of his dog wagging his nose."

"Are you referring to me?" I asked, a little offended.

"I don't see any other dogs here."

"Uhh," I wasn't sure how to respond. There were people who hated me but they never displayed it this blatantly.

"Uncle Qrow!" scolded Ruby. "Don't be mean to him. He's only here to have fun."

He gave a dramatic sigh. "Only because you asked." Then he lumbered away but not before shooting one last glance. "You're playing now right? I'm sitting this one out then. Don't worry, I'll be watching on the cameras."

He headed off to the show room where you could watch live paintball matches.

"Wait!" called Adam, surprising me. Qrow lumbered to a stop.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Qrow looked over his shoulder.

"Have we met before?" Adam scrutinised him. He looked tense, like a fight could break out.

"No, we haven't." With that he disappeared round the corner.

"Sorry about that." said Ruby. She had her hands twisted in a bundle. "He's usually more nice than that, he's just a bit..."

"Drunk?" I said.

"Blunt?" Offered Pyrrha.

"A complete ass?" said Adam.

We all looked at Adam.

"What? He did come off as a smug prick."

"No, uncle Qrow is just... uncle Qrow. He's just the way he is." Ruby wilted into herself. "He's not being mean on purpose but more out of habit."

Adam snorted. "As if that makes it better."

"Hey!" screamed Ruby.

"Look let's go have our match now." I said, before the situation could spiral more out of control. "Your sister is waiting isn't she."

Ruby shot a look at me and nodded.

"Yeah let's go."

I elbowed Adam hard on the way out.

* * *

The open field was big enough to rival the courtyard at Beacon Academy. Unlike the courtyard, there was a random scattering of sandbags built into a wall waist height. Trees and foliage filled the outskirts and small wooden buildings were placed near the centre. I hefted up my paint gun and rested it on my shoulder. A crowd gathered around the marshal.

Ruby swivelled her head, her Crescent Rose shaking inside its pouch. I guess she modified it to fire paint balls instead of bullets. "Where is she?"

"Your sister?" asked Pyrrha. Pyrrha was equipped with the standard sword and gun, which hung by her side.

"Yeah." Ruby bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder again.

"Is that her at the back?" Pyrrha pointed off into the crowd.

Ruby's gaze followed her arm and waved at someone who I couldn't see. "Hey over here!"

My attention was instead drawn to two people who I had met last night.

"Didn't think I would meet up with you so soon." I said with a frown. I still remember the bitter taste she left in my mouth from our conversation. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you're following me around."

Coco shot me a cruel smirk. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm only here to test out my new weapon."

I looked over her again. She was still wearing shades but ones that was different from yesterday. Her uniform clearly was designed to appeal to the eye but it didn't diminish the practicality of it. What stood out most wasn't what she was wearing but what she was holding.

"A purse?" I asked.

"Coco, who are you talking to?" We turned to face the man beside Coco. He towered above me, above Adam even and still had enough height to spare to strap a sword taller than me on his back. Velvet popped up behind him and waved at me. I happily waved back.

"Jaune Arc," said Coco, "no one to worry about in a fight."

He gave me an appraisal look.

"Certainly, he does not seem well suited for combat." He faced Coco. "Perhaps we should not take this battle seriously. We are only here to test out your weapon."

"Maybe not seriously but we can have some fun on the way." The fourth member of their group spoke out. Scars criss-crossed his arms and his eyes appeared completely white. That might not mean he's blind but judging by the fact he doesn't make eye contact, I'm guessing he is.

"All right listen up folks." said the head Marshal. Once he made sure everyone's attention was on him, he carried on. "We're going to establish a few rules now. First if the marshal blows his whistle, everyone stops what they're doing and head back to the centre. No exceptions. This is an aura allowed match so semblances and aura techniques are permitted. If your aura drops below 20% then you're out. The paintballs are set to explode when it makes contact with your uniforms so make sure you don't get hit. Once you're out, your paint gun automatically stops working. A marshal will escort you out. No one may attack the Marshals or the ones who are already out. You try it and our marshals will make you regret it.

"This will be an all against all team match. There are three teams and each team has four members. As usual, each team has their own leaders. Those who want to be leaders raise your hands now.

I raised my hand up. Several raised their arms but Ruby, Adam and Pyrrha kept their hands down.

"You don't want to be a leader?" I asked Pyrrha.

"While I am adept at one on one combat, I have no experience leading a team so I would not be suitable."

"Alright, those who raised their hands up come forward."

I walked up and stood next to the Marshal. Coco followed, her hair whipping to one side as she strutted by. Lastly was...

"Yang?!" I called out in disbelief.

Though she was dressed in the camouflaged uniform, that distinctive hair would give her away anywhere. She waved lazily at me.

"Hey, you finally got my name right." said Yang. She raised an coy eyebrow. "What with that look?"

"I haven't seen you since my first case. You haven't even contacted me since then. Give a guy a break when he thinks a girl is not interested."

She shook her head good naturedly. "I've been busy with my own things and once you became more famous people started annoying me about you. They recognised me from your first case and really hounded me. At first I turned them down but some are persistent. They stalked me everywhere. Couldn't go out without some annoying reporter bothering me. This one pipsqueak of a reporter was super annoying, kept running into her everywhere. She was pretty intense about the whole thing. May have broken a few walls dealing with her nonsense." She shrugged like it was no big deal, which when talking about Yang might not be a big deal. "After that, I decided that I wouldn't contact you until the whole case cooled off."

_Pipsqueak, could she be talking about Ram?_

"Oh," I frowned. From the sounds of it, she had it pretty rough. I didn't even consider what she went through during that time. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think to-"

She lifted a hand up, forestalling my reply. "Save the apologies. I'm over it now."

"But-"

"If you're really sorry then you can pay me back by giving me a good fight. My team versus your team."

I smiled. "Sounds good. I'll make sure to take you down."

"Heh," Yang smirked. "good luck with that. You'll need it."

"Hate to burst your parade, but none of your teams stand a chance against us." said Coco. Yang's eyes narrowed, her cocky grin widened, and I feared that we might start the match too soon. "I love your hair though, what did you do to make it shine like that?"

And just like that Yang's determination was blown away.

I rubbed my temples as their discussion devolved into comparing shampoos.

A whispered good luck from Velvet was the last thing I heard as we split apart into our teams.

* * *

**AN: Hello everyone and at the time of publishing this chapter it is December 25 so Merry Christmas to all. It's been a busy year for me due to university and it'll probably get even busier so no promises when the next chapter is released. Now I want to thank Kegi Springfield for his lovely fan art of Jaune and Adam. Search up RWBY**** Fanfic Fanart: Subordinate by Kegi Springfield and you'll find it in the first link.**** You have no idea how happy I as when I found it. Thanks again Kegi Springfield! **


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